


Yours

by Jacob_The_Random_Writer



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: M/M, Parallels, Slow Burn, Wuko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:34:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26475778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacob_The_Random_Writer/pseuds/Jacob_The_Random_Writer
Summary: After the new third spirit portal was created in the center of a destroyed Republic City and Kuvira’s tyrannical dictatorship was put to an end the world had to accept certain changes. For Republic City that meant a higher spirit population. For the Earth Kingdom it meant a complete overhaul of the government. As the acting King, Wu’s first and only declaration was to abolish the monarchy replacing it instead with a democratic government much like Republic City’s. That was Wu’s place in the world, with the Earth nation which needed an entirely new form of government and it was his job to create it for his people.
Relationships: Mako & Prince Wu (Avatar), Mako/Prince Wu (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter One

After the new third spirit portal was created in the center of a destroyed Republic City and Kuvira’s tyrannical dictatorship was put to an end the world had to accept certain changes. For Republic City that meant a higher spirit population. For the Earth Kingdom it meant a complete overhaul of the government. As the acting King Wu’s first and only declaration was to abolish the monarchy replacing it instead with a democratic government much like Republic City’s. That was Wu’s place in the world with the Earth nation which needed an entirely new form of government and it was his job to create it for his people. 

Korra’s job was to continue acting as the bridge for spirits and humans, but she gave Wu a short promise to lend a hand in getting the Earth nation back on track. Mako’s place was back with the Republic City police. With Wu stepping down out of his Kingship Beifong had welcomed Mako back into her police force. She laid a hand on his right shoulder since his left arm was slung up and she put a strong smirk on for him. 

“We’ve got rebuilding to do. Rest up and get back on my team soon”she said which made Mako smile proudly. Less than a month before he would have been entirely relieved to be back on her force, but his mind stumbled thinking about the Earth ex-royalty. “Who knows”Lin drew hand away with a light chuckle “Maybe one day you’ll make chief”she remarked. Mako’s back straightened and he saluted her with his uninjured arm as she moved away. 

Wu set himself to leave as soon as the train station was more or less operational. He needed to get back to Ba Sing Se and begin rebuilding the Earth nation capital. Mako had insisted on taking Wu to the train station claiming it was to ensure his safety. The fire-bender had a need to see Wu off and tell him goodbye as if it was giving some sort of closure to their relationship. They stood at the train platform the monorail was preparing to leave and Wu turned towards Mako. The Earth nation leader felt as if he was leaving a big part of himself behind with Mako. A part of him that was young and naive and maybe a little selfish. There was something in him that he couldn’t quite place, like a vague worry in him lingering at the background of his mind. 

Wu cleared his throat, “It’ll be nice to get back to Ba Sing Se. Don’t get me wrong Republic City has it’s charms from the overgrowth of spirit vines to the car pollution”Wu chuckled waving his hand lazily through the air. “You definitely belong here though Mako”he attempted a chuckle but the sound came out weak and he bit down on his tongue to stop himself from saying anything more. 

Mako stared down at Wu then sniffed “Well you’re gonna have your hands full making a whole new government for the Earth nation”one of his jutted eyebrows rose. 

Wu’s stomach dropped and his smile faltered slightly “Oh I’ll have delegates to do all the hard work for me. I’ll be kicking back Ba Sing Se style”Wu lied knowing full well that there were little to no Earth nation delegates left in Ba Sing Se. Despite his lie he struck up a shining smirk for the sake of hiding his fearful worry. 

Mako chuckled “Well I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m kinda gonna miss having you around”. Wu’s fake smirk fell and his chest constricted his feet shifting awkwardly against the ground. 

“You should write me sometime. Tell me about Republic City. I’m sure once you’re healed you’re gonna have a ton of amazing detective stories”Wu subconsciously rubbed at his left arm then turned himself around towards the train. The steam was rising from the tracks of the train and Wu knew it was time for him to leave he let out a shaky breath. “And Mako”he turned a bit with a bright flashy forced smile “I’m gonna miss you too”. 

Wu spent two months trying to put together a new government he had expected the process to be long and difficult, but he was completely at a loss for how to begin. Many people in the Earth nation hated the idea of a new government and putting together a system with representatives proved to be near impossible. The Earth leader worked with many Republic City council members for guidance, but ultimately the job was his alone. The Earth nation was entirely disillusioned with their government and the people were terribly scared after Kuvira’s rein. Many of the villages refused to be apart of Wu’s new form of government calling it yet another poor attempt at unification. 

He was at his wits end pacing the bamboo floors of his room his socks sliding tiredly over the mats. His hair was an utter mess from his hands running through it so many times and the night was late with the moon hanging high in the sky. The Earth leader stopped pacing and flopped down on his bed with a large frustrated and scared sigh. Every little thing was an uphill battle and there was an enormous amount of pressure on him to sculpt something entirely new for the Earth nation. The people of the Earth Republic were all looking to him for guidance and answers, but he had no one to look to for his own questions. The uncertainty made him sick to his stomach and he stared out his window above his bed. He watched the moon with bright stars twinkling in the pure black sky. Slowly he sat himself up and looked to his desk on the right of his room carefully he pulled the chair out and sat himself down to write a letter. 

_Dear Mako,  
How's Republic City? Still gross and full of vines I bet. And detective work-_

He stopped abruptly felling unsure about his words he crumbled the paper into a ball and tossed it down onto the ground pulling a new page out.

_Dear Mako,  
Ba Sing Se is amazing! You should come visit, but I bet you're busy. So am I-_

He stopped once more pressing his lips tightly. He asked himself why he was writing Mako in the first place. He smashed the new page into a ball letting it fall on the ground with the other attempt.

_Dear Mako,  
I decided to write you. Things here are difficult. People are unsure about unifying the Earth nation after Kuvira. If I’m honest I’m not sure what to do. People are expecting me to have all the answers and I'm afraid I'm going to lead they astray. I wish you were here. Things made sense when you were around. I guess I miss feeling safe. You made me feel safe-_

He paused for a long time before shaking his head quickly and shoving the paper away to the back of the desk. Wu let out a long frustrated breath then pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes. He yanked out yet another new paper and started again.

_Dear Mako,  
I finally have a moment to write you. Ba Sing Se is coming along… slowly. It’s difficult work to build an entire government. You should have warned me. How's your arm? How’s Republic City doing with the new spirt portal? Are Korra and Asami back from their vacation? And how is detective work? Any big interesting drug busts or dangerous shoot-outs yet? Write me back when you get a chance._

With a letter that he was comfortable with he went to sign the bottom of the page with a simple Your Friend, but he stopped after writing only the word Your. He scribbled the word Your out feeling that sign off was boring. He decided just to sign the letter with his name, but out of habit wrote Prince Wu. The Earth leader shook his head angrily quickly scratching out the Prince title leaving just Wu. “Stupid”he muttered staring down at the bottom of his letter which had frankly turned into a mess. His eyes drifted over to the late night sky out his window and he sighed. With another shake of his head he folded the paper and stuffed it into an envelope then sealed it with his wax stamp. 

It was not until two days after Wu sent his letter that his eyes snapped open when he was laying in bed. The sudden realization that it appeared he wrote “Your Prince Wu” at the bottom of his letter came slamming into his mind. He slapped a hand over his face dragging it down his eyes in a tired disappointed display. “Mako won’t care. He’ll understand it was only a mistake”he tried to tell himself. 

Mako had just gotten off work late one night some five or six days after Wu first sat down to write his letter. The detective had grabbed his mail from down in his apartment complex’s lobby and he tossed down the pile of papers and envelopes on his kitchen counter. The off-white envelope from Ba Sing Se slid out from between two newspaper coupon pages and the bright green seal beckoned to Mako. His eyes narrowed slightly and he grabbed up the letter.

“This is from Wu”he flipped it over in his hand examining it then quickly ripped open the seal tugging the letter from its holding. His eyes scanned over the paper lingering on the scratched out signature at the bottom. He went to his desk immediately to write back. 

_Hey Wu,  
I'm not much of a letter writer Korra can attest to that. It sounds like Ba Sing Se is in good hands with you. Republic City is doing good rebuilding and my arm is almost completely healed. People are still getting used to the extra spirit activity around here, but everything has been fairly normal. Korra and Asami got back a few weeks ago. Actually they’re together now. They look happy. I'm happy for them. Really I am._

He stopped writing the words on the paper seeming colder than he wanted them to be. He was over his break up with both the girls. Korra meant a lot to him and she helped him grow as a person. Asami showed him how to be a better person. Korra was like a sister to Mako and he would follow her into battle just like he would for Bolin. However the words on his paper played out more harsh like Mako was not truly happy for the two. He was very happy for them, but to a small extent jealous. He may have grown past the need for a relationship to feel whole but he still wanted someone to be happy with. Happy the way Asami and Korra made each other. Happy in the way Bolin and Opal were together. Even the way Jinora and Kai made one another happy would be nice. He trashed that draft and grabbed a new paper starting his new letter the same way.

_Hey Wu,  
I'm not much of a letter writer Korra can attest to that. It sounds like Ba Sing Se is in good hands with you. Republic City is doing good rebuilding and my arm is almost completely healed. People are still getting used to the extra spirit activity around here, but everything has been fairly normal. Korra and Asami got back a few weeks ago and they're together now. They look good together and very happy. I haven't had any interesting drug busts or shoot-outs. That stuff doesn't really happen like the movers make it seem. Beifong told me she was going to give me a bigger mission soon so that might be cool. Tell me more about how building the government is going when you get a chance._

When it came down to the end of his letter Mako remembered the odd way Wu signed his. He was unsure what the scratched out signature meant and it made signing his letter more confusing. After tapping his pen a couple times on his desk leaving messy splatters of ink on the wood he signed a simple Mako at the bottom. The letters were squared-off and professional as if he was signing some paperwork at the station. 

The usual mail time for sending letter to and from Ba Sing Se and Republic City was approximately a week. Wu had been busy the entire day jumping from meeting to meeting with people who were representing their different Earth districts. It was a bit refreshing to be meeting with people who agreed with his choice to step down, but he had finished out the day with a large group of people who did not agree with his decision. The constant yelling and shouting about separate free villages weighed down on him and he practically trudged back to his house. Among some of his changes to the Earth nation he had opened the palace up to the public as a free garden and museum of Earth nation history and art. The rings of Ba Sing Se were still standing, but he eventually wanted to knock down the inner walls. That was apparently a big problem to the people living in the upper ring and he heard plenty of their arguments concerning the topic. 

With the palace no longer his to live at he had taken up residence in a large empty house in the upper ring. The house used to be a place for guests of the royal family to stay, but seeing as there was no royal family anymore it was just wasted space that Wu could take. He had a small team consisting of two bodyguards and a few assistants which helped organize his daily meetings. The tall front doors of the house were opened for him and as he entered an assistant took his coat and scarf. Once he kicked his shoes off his feet slid against the ground and he let out a yawn. 

“A letter came for you”a woman walked beside him holding out a plain white envelope. Wu wanted to ignore the letter and save whatever it was for the morning. When he did not reach for it she added “It’s from Republic City”. Wu’s eyes snapped open and he whipped around towards her quickly snatching the letter from her hands. 

“Thank you”he rushed away up the stairs to his room once inside he quickly tore open the paper and unraveled the letter inside. His smile grew as he read, but dropped instantly when he saw the last sentence urging him to talk about the government of the Earth nation. Wu procrastinated writing Mako back for a few days finding himself actually preferring to spend more time in his meetings than in his bedroom. Mako’s letter stared at him every night screaming its silent judgmental imploring statement at him. When he finally did sit down to write back he was at a loss for what to put on the page. Part of him wanted to spill everything to Mako. Tell the fire-bender about how lost he was with what to do about the angry people who opposed him. Just the other day his guards had to rush him out of a meeting before one of the angry village leaders got too heated. As he was being forced out with one guard hovering over him and the other keeping people at a distance he felt nervous and vulnerable. Wu dipped his pen into his ink and took a deep breath. 

_Dear Mako,  
The people of Ba Sing Se are difficult to work with. Some agree with me but others do not. I have a lot of meetings with representatives from all around the Earth nation._

Wu paused blinking he really did not want to write Mako with a horrible downtrodden letter. He did not want it to seem like he could not handle his work. He drew in another deep breath for strength then continued. 

_The government will come together and get better eventually. I still have a lot of learning to do and I look forward to it. I meet with delegates and politicians a lot. They have so much to teach me. But enough about me tell me about how it is there. Strangely I miss the big city. Maybe it’s the bustling crowds or tall buildings. Or maybe the people. Anyway write me soon._

When it came time to sign the Earth leader made sure that he only wrote Wu. Mako received his letter during a particularly busy week so he had to put off writing back until after he got the free time. He found himself spending all his time at work again. He had run into this issue before when the Water Tribe war broke out. The busybody fire-bender had problems separating his life from work. 

Mako liked to keep himself busy and he liked to solve problems it made him feel as if he had control over his life. Fixing problems made him feel secure. He rolled his shoulders feeling the long week of work hanging on them. Bolin had invited him to visit Air Temple Island for a few days of rest. He and Opal were happy and enjoying their seemingly perfect relationship much to Mako’s relief after what had happened between them. Bolin and the air nomads worked to offer supplies for refugees and Earth nation villages hurt by the past events. Mako always knew Bolin would end up helping people and offering social services. The Earth-bender had an enormous heart and a calming aura about him. Mako had not seen his brother in a while and he missed his stupid jokes and goofy smile. The detective flopped down tiredly at his desk and stretched his legs out under the table. 

_Wu,  
Sorry for the late response I've been really busy with work. That big case Beifong had me assigned to was an undercover mission. It's a long story and I tell it better in person. I talked to Tenzin about the Ba Sing Se government. He told me things are not going as well as he wished there were over there. People are forming uprisings. He told me only a quarter of the nation is willing to join the Earth Republic. Is everything alright there? Are you safe? You have guards right?_

Mako signed his letter and sent it out the next morning this time when Wu received Mako’s letter his heart raced. The questions inside and the honest truth about the Ba Sing Se government twisted his mind into nervousness. Mako knew the true extent of the rebellion against his government plan for the Earth nation. Wu’s eyes were fixated on the questions “Are you okay?” and “You have guards right?”. He reread over the lines and could practically hear Mako’s low worried warning voice. He did not answer Mako’s letter. It hung over his mind so heavily that after a few days he shoved it deep inside his desk drawer. A month passed before Wu received another letter from Mako. 

_Wu,  
Not sure if you got my last letter. If you didn't, don't worry about it. I heard the Earth government isn't going so well. Are you okay? I just ask because, well I guess I'm used to protecting you. Anyway, there's a celebration going on at Air Temple Island in about a week. Everyone is going to be there. I know you're busy and I know there's a lot to do there but if you have some free time maybe you could come. Write me if you get this letter._

Mako signed his letter but this time his name was slightly lopsided and less practiced. Wu gripped the paper tightly in his hands the page wrinkling in his grasp. He was right about Mako worrying for him. Wu’s foot tapped rapidly against the floor as he thought about writing back. Ignoring Mako’s letters were only going to make the detective more worried. Wu was not sure how to answer though. Mako asked the same questions of Wu that many of the Earth village leaders asked. Wu had no answers to offer either of them. He sat down to write Mako back remembering to when Korra had stopped writing Mako during her break. Wu remembered how hurt Mako looked when he learned Korra had written Asami but not him. The Earth nation leader began writing. 

_Dear Mako,  
I am sorry for not responding to your letter sooner. I wish I could attend the celebration-_

He stopped writing his words sounding stiff and very much unlike him. A knock sounded at his door and he rose to open it.

“Sorry to bother you so late, but we just got word from Republic City Council Member Tenzin asking to meet with you next week. He wants to give you more advice and help with current representative for the Earth Republic. He is also inviting you to a gathering at Air Temple Island to celebrate all the achievements of Republic City with the new Human Spirit Relations building”her hands were folded tightly in front of her body and Wu knew he had no choice in the manner. 

“Of course. Send word we’ll attend”Wu nodded and she took her leave from his room. Wu slowly looked back to his letter and crumbled it into a ball. 

_Dear Mako,  
I've been really busy lately. I’ll be at the Air Temple Island celebration though, so maybe we can catch up._

Wu wondered if he should ask Mako about the undercover mission that he mentioned in the letter Wu had not answered. He would be admitting that he did in fact receive the letter but he needed something else to add his response. He swallowed down a lump growing in his throat and continued on. 

_You mentioned an undercover mission, I’ve gotta hear that story. See you at Air Temple Island soon._

Again Wu paused his pen hanging over the paper as his hand sat ready to write out his next words while his brain and stomach told him not to. He wanted to write how much he missed Mako. How it surprised even himself how lonely and scared he felt without the fire-bender at his side. 

_I look forward to seeing you and everyone else._

Signed Wu and sent out in the mail the next morning Mako received the confirmation of Wu’s attendance to the Air Temple Island party two days before he received his letter from Wu himself.


	2. Chapter Two

When Wu arrived in Republic City he was three days early for the party, but those three days were jam-packed with training groups, large council meetings, and advice study sessions with various different Republic City Council members. Dealing with the politics of government was always something Wu found hard to manage through, but he was learning to feel comfortable with it as well. Most of the people he met with did not trust his decisions because of his young age and small stature. He had many limitations in his decision making. He thought giving up his title of King would help coax people away from their predetermined notions of what made a leader, but he was wrong. 

The council members talked down to him and taught him lessons that he learned years ago in his royal diplomatic lectures. Wu’s favorite part of leading was interacting with the people of the Earth nation or the people of any nation for that matter. He was a social butterfly which was something about him that always made Mako roll his eyes and shake his head with a hidden smile on his lips. Wu missed seeing that slightly annoyed but respectful expression on Mako’s face. Wu met with Tenzin the day before the celebration for a few hours of advice and government planning. The air-bender actually gave Wu good advice about dealing with stubborn Earth village leaders diplomatically. 

“Have you seen the new building yet?”Tenzin asked and Wu shook his head. They sat with their legs underneath a low table with a heavy blanket draped over them to fight against the cold winter. “Have you been anywhere in the city since you arrived?”Tenzin asked lifting to sip from his cup of hot tea. 

Wu gave a weak chuckle “I’ve been busy with meetings. You know delegates and council people. They’re chatterboxes”he rubbed the back of his neck and Tenzin only made a short noise as a response. 

“While you are here make sure you do not go anywhere without your guards. With how shaky things are in the Earth nation we have had a large surge of Earth refugees and some of them are less than happy to have you here. Some are still strong supporters of Kuvira. Despite her insane tyrannical dictatorship she drove forward ideas that were already existing in the Earth nation people. Ideas that are still lingering”Tenzin’s warnings made Wu’s stomach queasy and his head dizzy. 

His fear took a large spike and he was reminded of his almost coronation day when Mako helped him through his anxiety. With his fear riddled mind and nauseous stomach Wu almost asked Tenzin if it was possible for Mako to serve as additional protection during his stay, but Wu pushed that idea far into the back of his mind. Mako was happy as a detective and he had made it clear to Wu that his place was in the Republic City Police not as a private political bodyguard. Wu had made his peace with that or he was trying to at least. 

“Perhaps I should ask Mako to join you for additional protection”Tenzin stroked his bread and Wu stiffened fearful that the older man had somehow gained mind-reading powered in the last few months. 

“No- Mako’s busy. I’ll be fine. I’m in meetings all day and stay at the hotel during the nights”Wu waved his hands and Tenzin raised an eyebrow then closed his eyes. 

“Very well. I’ll let you get to your next meeting then. I hope this helped”he stood slowly and Wu followed him. 

“It did. Thank you Tenzin”Wu bowed to the older man and Tenzin gave a nod. For the celebration Wu wore his formal attire a stiff pressed green suit jacket with a creme dress shirt underneath and dark green pants finished with a bright green ascot. He had long ago abandoned the royal broach. His hair was styled perfectly and his shoes were shined as he walked into the grand hall of the Air Temple. 

There was a large banner hanging above the crowded hall of people dressed formally all standing around chatting happily. The area was full of people, many of which were enjoying hors d’oeuvres and drinks already. Amongst the people were spirits flying and jumping around the ground mixing easily with the humans. Wu’s guards stood behind him and seeing as the banquet was already well protected he turned to them. The Earth leader told his guards to enjoy their night off, but keep a sharp eye out. The two stood unsure for a minute and Wu raised a thin finger. “Relax you guys. This is a banquet full of Republic City’s most important people. It’s crawling with guards and the Avatar. I think I’ll be safe”he smirked and they gave him a solid nod. Once Wu was left alone he was lost with what to do with himself. He had spent the last few months so buried in work that he had not kept up any ties with anyone besides Mako. Then Wu began worrying that he did not have any other friends besides Mako and was Mako even a friend to him. The two wrote to each other, but was that enough?

“Wu, glad you could make it”Korra happily approached the Earth ambassador with a large smile and a brightly colored fruit punch in her hand. Her other hand was occupied by Asami’s and Wu smiled. Korra had on a beautiful blue traditional formal water tribe dress the shoulders bare with a light blue sheer cloth draped over her arms. Asami wore a deep maroon dress that hugged her hourglass body and had a tasteful slit climbing up her right leg. 

“Why, if it isn’t the Avatar and her ravishing date”Wu bowed and held out his hand which Asami laughed lightly at before laying her own on top of her and allowing Wu to kiss the top of her fingers. Korra preferred a normal standard handshake before she got into asking questions of the Earth leader. 

“I wasn’t sure if you were gonna come. You’ve been pretty busy with the Earth nation and no one’s really heard from you”she glanced off slightly she had given Wu a passive promise to check in and help build the new Earth government but she had yet to uphold that promise. Wu did not blame her for wanting a break, everything was finally dying down and there was a new spirit portal to attend to so he knew she was extremely busy. 

“Yeah well”Wu retracted slightly with the talk about the Earth nation stepping back a bit. “I haven’t had a lot of time to keep in touch. Not to mention-”he shook his head not wanting to bring up the fact that he thought he had nothing to talk to the two ladies about except Earth nation problems. “Sorry about that”he apologized instead. 

Asami frowned then blinked tipping her head slightly to the side her rolled curls shifted with the movement. “Wu, is everything alright?”she moved a little closer to him. 

“What? I’m fine”Wu gave a bubbly laugh to hide his momentary lapse in bright uplifting attitude. 

“Korra”someone shouted and the three all looked over to Bolin who was quickly making his way over through the crowd. His suit was tight around his muscular arms and his hair was slicked back neatly. “Tenzin wants to go over speech notes with you”Bolin pointed behind himself then glanced at Wu his eyes lighting up. 

Korra gave a dramatic sigh “Duty calls”she shrugged and her fingers came undone from Asami’s. “I’ll see you guys in a bit”Korra gave her girlfriend a sweet smile then left to find Tenzin. 

“Wu buddy. It’s been forever”Bolin held his arms out wide and Wu braced himself for a hug. Bolin’s hugs were often overbearing and strong, but Wu felt strangely comforted in the grasp. “How’s everything in Ba Sing Se? Oh- sorry. Nevermind, I know it’s kind of a touchy subject”Bolin pulled away twirling his fingers awkwardly. 

Wu’s eyes went a bit wider, “Touchy? Why would it be touchy? Nothing is touchy?”he babbled quickly throwing his hands out. 

“Okay”Bolin said slowly and Asami pressed her red lips. “I just mean things are crazy right now and- Oh Mako’s looking for you”Bolin suddenly remembered and Wu’s shoulders tensed. 

“Mako? For me?”his eyes blinked a few times as if his brain was trying to reboot. 

“Yeah, something about your letter”the Earth-bender shrugged. 

“Letter?”Asami asked and Bolin nodded. 

"Wu and Mako have been writing to each other talking about the government over there”the brother explained while Wu searched the ground. The Earth nation leader was attempting to find an answer in the rug fibers as to why he felt so clammy and suddenly scared. “Anyway, Mako was by the drinks table last time I saw. You should go find him”Bolin urged and Wu swallowed.

“Oh yeah- I should probably go now”he pointed in a random direction and the two nodded slowly. Wu moved through the party ducking past people and spirits. Most of the people were older and ignored his presence in entirety while the others acknowledged him with a curt nod which he returned. Whatever Wu did he avoided the drinks table sneaking through the crowd towards the opposite side of the hall. He ducked into an empty hall and let out a breath his chest felt tight and his breathing was shallow. He wiped at his forehead and tugged slightly at his collar trying to help his breathing calm. 

“Wu?”a girl’s voice asked and he squeezed his closed eyes tighter wishing that he could find somewhere to be alone for a minute. If he knew he would have had this much of an issue with being at such a large party he would not have come after all. When he opened his eyes Ikki was standing in front of him with a worried expression on her face. She had a simple red and yellow straight flowy dress on the fabric reaching down to the floor. Wu let out a breath as he fixed himself to stand upright for the girl. “Are you okay?”she asked and his fists clenched tightly. 

“Yes. I’m fine”he insisted and she looked down slightly.

“I understand. Big crowds can make me a bit nervous too”she looked up to him with a smile and he softened. “It helps to have someone to talk to. If you want I can stay with you”she offered with a sweet smile and Wu gave her a smile in return. 

“You’re sweet, fair maiden, but really I’m fine. I just needed a second to catch my breath. I’m supposed to be finding Mako right now”Wu glanced away. He was not sure why he was lying to her. Maybe telling her that he could not stop his worrying, or the building of anxiety in his chest, or the rapid beating of his heart was something he did not have the strength to do. 

She nodded lightly, “I’ll let you have your space then. Find me if you do need a friend though”her smiles were always genuine and sweet. Wu nodded comfortably as she left then let himself fall back against the wall once more. His head was spinning; he had never felt so scared at a party. Parties were usually his thing. He was perfect at them, milling around the room, talking so loud people had to shush him, becoming the life of the gathering. Something had changed when he took on the responsibility of the Earth Republic. Something had changed when he met Mako all those months ago.

During their time together Wu knew who was was: Prince Wu soon to be King Wu. Now he was unsure what he even was to the Earth nation. He was barely a representative for Ba Sing Se considering how half of the people who lived there did not support him and he was not a leader for the Earth nation since the nation was so torn apart is could scarcely be referred to as such. 

“Wu, there you are”Mako’s smooth low voice filled the hall and Wu quickly looked up. The fire-bender had dawned a snazzy well fitted black suit with a deep red undershirt. His hair was a mix between his usual style and a slicked back more formal one. His light amber eyes gazed down at Wu demanding a response while his rugged eyebrows hung over them dipping into his normal constant annoyed but worried expression. The expression Wu had been missing since the day he left. Something in him melted away. Something cold and nervous and scared melting to reveal a warm secure comfortable vulnerability. 

“Mako”Wu said shaking his head lightly, “Hey”his voice trailed off and Mako squinted slightly. 

“Hey? No stupid comment or anything”the detective asked and Wu looked down to the ground. “What’re you doing in this hall anyway. Ikki told me you were trying to find me. I know you’re bad with directions, but what made you think I’d be in an empty hall”Mako smirked and moved his hand lazily, his drink swirled with the motion. 

Wu shrugged simply, “I just found my way in here”he answered in a plain voice his eyes not rising from the ground. Mako’s hand dropped with his smirk.

“Wu”he stepped forward, “Are you okay?”he asked. Wu’s hands clenched into fists and he closed his eyes tightly. 

“Yes and I am so sick of people asking me that. Don’t I look fine? What is it about me? Do I look so pathetic and sad that everyone feels the need to baby me every second of the day”he shouted pushing himself up on his toes in frustration. Mako took a step back in surprise.

“No! What?”he asked his hands rising in defense. Wu’s eyes opened quickly and he righted himself back on the floor. “What’s going on with you? You’re acting weird and that’s saying something”Mako said softly his voice was full of a protective worry for the ex-royalty. 

“Nothing- I’m doing perfectly fine. I have a whole government to build. Who wouldn’t be doing great”the Earth leader huffed and crossed his arms. They heard a loud announcement coming from the main grand hall and Wu looked over. “The speech must be starting. We shouldn’t miss it”he sidestepped past Mako letting out a slow breath. The crowd of spirits and people slowly came to a quiet murmur as Tenzin began a long speech about the Human Spirit Relations building built nearby the new spirit portal. As the speech drew on and several speakers gave their, rarely short, additions Wu hugged himself tightly. Mako was standing beside Wu his dark golden eyes glancing down every now and then drilling holes into the shorter man’s head. 

Korra was the last speaker sharing the shortest and funniest part of the long winded speech. When she finished spirits and people respectful clapped together. While Mako was distracted Wu slipped out behind a few people and managed to lose him for the time being. Mako turned to where Wu should have been and for a brief moment a jolt of panic ran through him. He shook his head reminding himself that he was not the tan man’s bodyguard anymore. He should not have to worry himself with the Earth leader’s protection. Mako let out a groan and went to find Wu anyway succumbing to his own over-worrying. The fire-bender congratulated Korra on a speech well done and joined the large group of friends for a few minutes to joke and talk before soft dance music began playing in the grand hall. The center of the hall had formed into a small dance floor with couples already pulling each other close. 

“Korra, would you give me the honor?”Asami smiled and Korra laughed taking her hand the two walked off to dance together. Bolin watched them leave with a lovesick gaze and Mako chuckled. 

“Go dance with Opal. I’ve gotta find Wu anyway”the older brother scanned the party once more and Bolin nodded. 

“I told him you were looking for him. Did you guys ever find each other before?”he asked quickly and Mako shrugged. 

“Kinda, for a minute. Go dance. I’ll find you later”he waved his brother and girlfriend away. Mako determined to check the empty hallway first, he knew Wu well enough to know that the Earth nation representative was not one to find new places to sulk. Wu liked to reuse familiar locations which made it easy for Mako to find him during some of his tantrums. The detective walked down the hall following it as it led to a wide patio under the cool night sky he stepped out onto the stone balcony. Wu was leaning over the thick old stone railing his hair blowing softly in the cold breeze. “Are you avoiding me?”Mako asked making Wu jump he turned around quickly his eyes wide.

“Mako, how to you keep finding me?”the Earth leader asked raising an eyebrow and Mako rolled his eyes with a smirk. 

“I spent a long time learning how to track you. It wasn’t hard”he walked over to the patio rail and set his half drank glass on it. “So what’s up? I can tell something is wrong. You’ve been avoiding me like the plague”Mako turned around and leaned his back against the stone. 

“I haven’t been avoiding you Mako”Wu sighed, “I just don’t know what to say”he finished. They were quiet for a long few seconds. 

“What do you mean?”Mako asked with an obliviously confused tone Wu shook his head and sighed again. 

“When I decided to abolish the kingdom in the Earth nation you said you were proud of me. You said I could be a good leader. But-”his jaw shook. “I’m failing Mako. I’m not a good representative. I’m not a good governor. I’m not a good leader at all”his arms hung over the rocky rail his entire body defeated by his confession.

Mako blinked slowly processing Wu’s words, “Wu- you don’t have to prove anything to me”. The tan man quickly snapped upright and turned over to Mako.

“Yes I do! You’re the only person that has ever believed in me Mako. The only person who made me believe I could be something more than just a stupid figurehead. You, and Korra, Bolin and Asami, you guys are all so amazing and I’m just-”his head fell. 

“Wu”Mako pushed away from the rail and his hand rose slowly he laid it on the shorter man’s shoulder. “Building an entire government is hard”Mako said his eyebrows furrowing.

“So is defeating four crazy evil people”Wu cut in with a mutter and Mako chuckled.

“Okay yeah sure. That’s hard, but that was mostly Korra. Besides things are different now”the fire-bender watched as Wu turned his head away still unswayed. “The Earth nation was broken apart before you got into power. It was ruined long before any of us were even born and you’re trying to do something that not even Korra can do. You’re trying to bring millions of people together who all see things differently”Mako’s hand squeezed Wu’s shoulder lightly. Wu felt a surge of calm run through him from the gesture. “If you’re looking for my respect you’ve already got it”Mako gave Wu a soft smile his eyes swimming with a mixture of respect, comfort, and caring. This time Wu felt something inside him break like a dam full of water bursting and Wu began crying. It was not the way he used to cry and whine when Mako would refuse taking him out to the mall during the dangerous days of Kuvira. It was a soft shoulder shaking weak cry that Mako jerked back in shock by. 

Wu sniffled, “Mako- you don’t know how much it means to me to hear you say that”his hands shook and he pressed them to his legs. “I’ve been really scared and I’ve been lying to you telling you that things in Ba Sing Se are fine, but they aren’t. I’m beyond scared everyday. Not just for my life but I’m scared I’m letting every single person down. There are so many questions, so many fears, so many people needing my guidance but I have nothing. Absolutely nothing to give them. No answers and no actions”he tossed his head back and forth his tears falling down his chin. Mako blinked watching the moonlight catch the small teardrops on Wu’s red tinted cheeks. “I’m letting them all down- everyone and I thought if I told you then you’d be disappointed in me too but-”he looked up to Mako sniffling again his green eyes brimmed with tears. “But if you really mean it and you really think I’m worth something to the Earth nation then I guess I have to be doing something right. Right?”his voice was weak echoing in the air like a soft whisper towards the end. Mako’s heartstrings tugged sharply and he tilted his head to the side a bit. His mind was at a loss for any words he could say to make Wu feel better, but his body moved forward and he tugged the Earth leader into a tight hug. Wu’s arms curled up around Mako’s gripping to his shoulders firmly the fabric of Mako’s black suit wrinkling in Wu’s fingers. The fire-bender stared forward his eyebrows stitched tightly together feeling Wu’s soft sobs shake through them both. 

Mako’s embrace was cathartic to Wu mixed with his purging cry. For months he had been welling up with fear and pressure hoping that if he could only get through to the next day than things would become better, but the next day was always one day away. Wu could feel Mako’s steady heartbeat against his chest opposing his own fast paced one. His shaking stopped and although he was still crying he felt safe for the first time in a very long time. 

Bolin had come looking for his brother after one too many spins with Opal left her stumbling towards a trash can. The younger brother was paused in the dark hall tapping his fingers together awkwardly. He watched as Mako and Wu held each other for a long time before Bolin slowly took a few steps backwards. He turned on his heels opting to allow his brother and Wu their privacy. When he got back to the party he found Opal sitting with a cold napkin on her forehead. Bolin approached her rubbing his neck strangely. 

“You okay?”Opal asked blinking at Bolin’s awkwardness he gave her a forced smile. 

“Yeah I just- I don’t know. I saw something kinda weird. Mako and Wu were on the balcony out there and they were just”he shrugged, “Hugging”he finished. 

Opal sat up slightly from her slumped position and cocked an eyebrow. “Hugging? That’s not weird”she pulled the napkin off her forehead.

“Mako’s not much of a hugger. He really only hugs me and Korra and sometimes Asami”Bolin waved his hand then shrugged. “I just didn’t know he was that close with Wu”he blinked.

“Well they haven’t seen each other in a while”Opal shrugged lightly, “Could’ve been a hello hug”she offered but Bolin shook his head. 

“This was a different kind of hug. They were really close and it lasted a pretty long time. I left before they even separated”the Earth-bender took a second to think. “Maybe he’s replacing me as his brother since I’m so busy with refugee work”Bolin rubbed his cheek and Opal laughed. 

“Love, he was just over at our place the other day. He’d never replace you”she smiled and Bolin laughed.

“Yeah I know. Still, seems a bit weird”he shrugged. It was not like Mako to keep secrets from his brother, but did this technically count as a secret?

Mako let Wu determine when their hug was over the tan man pulled away and wiped at his eyes. 

“Sorry about all that”Wu apologized, his cheeks burning hotter from embarrassment.

“Don’t worry about it. You’re under a lot of pressure. Sometimes you just gotta talk. You shouldn’t hide this kind of stuff and you don’t have to go through it alone”Mako shoved his hands into his pockets feeling a bit of awkwardness and tension in the air. 

“It’s not really something I want the public to know. If they knew how scared I really was I don’t think people would want me in any type of leadership position”Wu sighed and rubbed his slightly sweaty palms on his pants. 

“Well, you don’t have to hide it from me. You should feel like you can tell me anything in our letters. I’m not gonna judge you”Mako shook his head slowly then bit his bottom lip as Wu looked up at him with a curious gaze. “Well- maybe I’ll judge you for some things. Like the way you signed your first letter. Couldn’t you decide?”Mako joked with a smirk trying to break the strange air between them. Wu laughed ducking his head in a nervous embarrassment. Mako smiled, “I mean- what’s up with the ‘Your Prince Wu’?”he swallowed. The strange sign off had been hanging in Mako’s mind idly since he first read it and every time he went to sign one of his own letters he thought about the signature. 

“Oh, that was a mistake. I started to write your friend, but that seemed kinda lame so I just went to write my name but I’ve written Prince Wu for as long as I can remember so it just kinda happened”Wu explained his usually theatric inflection and hand motions slowly returning to him. Mako liked seeing him happily gesturing and joking like normal.

The detective chuckled, “Ah I see. I guess that’s makes sense. In a stupid kind of way. I almost signed back ‘Your Mako’ ”he rolled his eyes and Wu straightened nervously. If he had received a letter from Mako signed “Your Mako” he probably would have had a panic attack and he was not quite sure why. The idea of seeing “Your Mako” scribbled at the bottom of a handwritten letter made Wu’s stomach flutter and hands sweat. 

“That would have been”Wu started, but he was unsure how to finish that sentence while Mako only laughed again. “I mean- stupid, but you can sign it that way if you want”Wu gave an over exaggerated shrug and wink. Mako laughed loudly the sound floating through the air and dancing in Wu’s mind. The fire-bender then looked back down the hall and pointed to the continuing party. 

“We should get back in there”he turned to leave and Wu blinked. He selfishly wished he could keep Mako occupied on the balcony for a while longer. He wished he had the power over Mako like he used to when the broad shouldered dark haired fire-bender was obligated to stick by his side under every circumstance. As they moved back towards the celebration Mako let his arms hang lazily out of his pockets. “Are you going to be in town any longer?”he asked glancing over to Wu. 

The tan man let out a sigh, “No, I have to get back. Which sucks cause I really wanted to see how the city’s changed”he pouted. 

“Well, there’s always next time”Mako offered before they stepped back into the loud crowded party.


	3. Chapter Three

The two returned to their normal daily routine lives and Wu waited a while before writing Mako again. He still felt slightly guilty for not answer Mako’s letters before so he tried to make up for it with an extra long letter. 

_Dear Mako,  
Ba Sing Se has been getting incredibly cold suddenly. Republic City was cold when I visited but the weather here is getting close to freezing soon. I hate the winter. The good news is that Bolin and Opal convinced Korra to join them on some of their refugee missions. Hopefully she can lend a hand in getting the Earth nation ready for rebuilding. I have not seen or met with her to discuss plans, but I’m sure she knows what she’s doing. I’m hopeful that if the people of the Earth nation begin to feel safe in their home villages they will consider joining the Earth Republic and select a representative. So far we don’t have too many people willing to volunteer their time to build something they aren’t sure will even work. Republic City is a great example of the government we are attempting to create here, but the Earth nation is so much larger. There are millions of people and a lot of different districts which all operate under their own small local governments. I would say I’m worried, but it would be a bit of an understatement. I don’t mean to make these letters worrying or depressing to read. I only want to share with you what I’m feeling like you told me to do. Besides that I bought a new shirt the other day and while I was out I found some things I thought you would like. They should get to you in the mail around the same time as this letter so enjoy._

In the bottom right hand corner of the paper, Wu drew a small version of himself giving a thumbs up and winking then went to sign in the center. He thought for a moment before laughing to himself and signing the letter “Your Wu”. Wu’s letter arrived in Mako’s mail slot a few days later and two days after that a small wooden box was left at the front desk for him. The contents inside were wrapped in a light green tissue paper and Wu had placed a small note on top for Mako. 

_To add to your already badly styled wardrobe._

Mako narrowed his eyes at the comment then rolled them and tossed the note aside. He tore the tissue paper out of the box. Wu had bought him a nice deep red button up with a darker red design of paisleys decorating the fabric. Mako’s eyebrows rose as he admired the shirt he lifted it out of the box to see the full article. He held it up to his body sizing it against his chest it was seemingly the perfect size. Wu did have a strange knack for picking sizes. Mako folded the shirt badly and looked back into the box underneath the button up Wu had packed a sturdy sleek utility belt. The belt had spots for Mako’s police issued tools and he quickly snapped it on smirking at how the useful belt looked on him. 

He sat down at his desk to write Wu back but found himself wondering if he should get Wu a gift in return. He was horrible with buying gifts, especially clothes which was some of the only things Wu seemed to enjoy buying himself. Clothes or spa day trips, although it had been a while since Wu mentioned anything about visiting a spa. With all the duties that Wu had to completely he probably did not have the time for a spa day, but with everything that he was going through he probably needed it more now than ever. Mako blew a stray hair from his forehead and blinked down at his empty page.

After a couple days of contemplating between just writing Wu back and sending him a gift he finally decided it would be rude not to send something back. However, he still had the issue of finding something good to send. When another couple days passed pushing the timespan of his response to Wu’s letter further and further Mako finally asked Asami to lend him a hand finding a good gift. They met to roam around the Republic City outdoor mall before Mako’s shift on a day Asami had more or less free. 

“Who’s the gift for?”Asami asked as the two began walking slowly through the large corridors of vendors and shops.

“Wu”Mako answered scanning the booths and windows of businesses. 

“Wu? What for? Is it his birthday”the woman asked peering over Mako’s shoulder at the items he was browsing.

Mako shook his head calmly, “No”his nonchalant attitude made Asami shrug. 

“Okay well, Wu is kinda hard to shop for. Anything he wants he buys himself”she placed a finger on her chin. “Which means it has to be something only you would get him”she pointed out and Mako made a strange face. 

“That’s why you’re here Asami. I obviously have no idea what to get him”he said blatantly. 

The woman beside him laughed lightly, “It has to be a Mako type gift. You like receiving and giving gifts that are practical. Things that someone needs or can use”she explained. Mako nodded slowly knowing that it was true he did not believe in the power of stuff like Wu did. “So, what do you think Wu needs”Asami asked looking around the area. Mako shrugged slowly his jaw setting as he thought about what Wu truly needed. 

“He needs the Earth nation people to stop being stubborn. He needs more people to help him fix the mess Kuvira made”Mako’s eyebrows came together angrily. “He needs less people yelling in his face and trying to hurt him while he does his job trying to mend the Earth nation”he rolled his eyes and stared into a shop window. “He needs peace of mind”Mako finished in a low tone and Asami only blinked in shock. She pressed and unpressed her perfectly lined red lips her emerald eyes looking around nervously. Mako cleared his throat, “Maybe he’d like that bag”he pointed into the shop window. 

Asami sighed rolling her eyes lightly, “Mako, if he really does need peace of mind you should get him something that’s relaxing”she shook her head her long dark hair tossing in its ponytail. 

“Relaxing? The only thing I can think that would relax someone in his position is tea”the fire-bender blinked a few times. His friend smiled with a proud sweet smile. 

“Well tea is a good idea. You can get him a few nice blends. That could be good way for him to calm down at night before bed and he’ll think of you every time he drinks it”she smiled with half lidded eyes. 

“Think of me? Why would he do that?”Mako brushed off that idea and started walking down the strip towards his favorite teashop. They stepped inside a small hut like building the bell on the door ringing as they entered. 

“Welcome, feel free to take a look around and ask for help if you need anything”an old woman welcomed them. She was standing on a tall ladder stocking the top shelves behind the counter.

“When Korra is stressed we drink Jasmine and Lily Blossom”Asami pointed to a white and pink metal tin with small white flowers decorating it. 

“No, I’m going to get this one”Mako grabbed a paper box adorned with a painted purple lavender plant on one side and a bowl of some green substance on the other side which was supposed to represent matcha. 

“Mako, don’t cheap out on a gift”Asami crossed her arms and Mako’s shoulders teased up in defense. 

“I’m not cheap-ing out”he said his voice rising into a higher pitch he let out a short breath. “When Bolin and I were living on the streets we used to be able to find boxes of this tea around. It was always both of our favorite tea and it’s still my go to blend when I’m stressed out. It just calms me”he shrugged lightly. Asami forced back a smile as Mako stared down at the box for a moment longer. 

“It’s perfect Mako”she laid a hand on his forearm and he moved towards the counter to buy the tea. He picked out two boxes, he already had one box at home for himself and he thought to buy two just so he could send Wu more tea when he inevitably ran out.

“Can I also get that tea set?”Mako pointed into a glass display case. There was a small red teapot with green floral designs embellishing the rim of the pot with two matching cups. “Wu doesn’t actually have a tea set for himself”Mako explained as the older woman pulled the set out and began wrapping it with paper. They walked around the mall browsing stores and goods for a while longer. Asami purchased a bouquet of flowers for Korra while they were out. After a while Mako had to leave to get ready for his shift. 

“You’re a better gift giver than I thought Mako”Asami laughed. Mako shifted his weight onto one leg the glass set and boxes of tea hanging in a cloth bag at his side.

“I’m still bad at gifts. If it wasn’t for you I would have had no idea what to get him so thank you”they wished each other a good rest of their days then parted. 

_Hey Wu,  
Sorry this is a bit late I was trying to think of something good to get you as a thanks for the shirt and belt. I don’t know how you did it but the shirt fits perfectly and I use the belt at work. It really comes in handy. Thanks. Anyway I was trying to think of something you could want, but I’m not really good with giving gifts. I thought maybe you could use something to take your mind off the political problems over there. I knew you didn’t have a tea set so here. It was pretty so I thought you’d like it. There’s also some tea in there. It’s the best blend I know for relaxing. Trust me Bolin and I used to drink it a lot on the streets and it’s still the only tea I go to when I’m stressed. I hope you like it._

Mako smirked and jokingly signed his letter “Yours, Mako”, before placing the letter inside a packed box and shipping it out to Wu in Ba Sing Se. Wu nearly fainted when he saw Mako sent him a gift in return. He was not expecting the tall fire-bender to send anything back he thought maybe Mako would thank him in a follow-up letter but make it clear that he did not want anymore gifts of clothes, but Mako did not. Instead Wu was pleasantly surprised with Mako’s warm comforting words and thanks. Wu read over the signature multiple times enjoying how the words, “Yours, Mako” made his mind reel and his chest warm. 

Months passed with the two continuing to write each other regularly. Every now and then they would send gifts or care packages to one another. Mako received some traditional Ba Sing Se hard candies and with the cold weather picking up in Earth nation capital Mako sent Wu a new soft light green scarf in return. When the thaw came over Ba Sing Se in the spring a month earlier than in Republic City since the area was chilled by the cold ocean surrounding it Mako asked if Wu would send him a pressed cherry blossom. Wu felt his heart skip a beat when he read that request such a tender and soft query. Wu sent Mako an entire short branch with four neatly pressed cherry blossoms laid gently in a thin wooden box on a green silk cloth. The fire-bender kept the entire box. 

In one of Wu’s letters he told Mako about how Korra had stopped visiting villages during the cold session. Bolin and Opal had also taken a break from their travels across the Earth nation’s land. The little bit of leeway Wu had gained was suddenly collapsing away. 

_Dear Mako,  
With Korra, Bolin, and Opal as well as their teams all on break from helping the Earth people there has been a large movement back against the government. We have had a lot of people join us in the past months but many of them are suddenly unsure. Some are even claiming I am acting as a king despite the fact that I have no control over the people, no council for help or guidance, and I do not live in the palace. I wish I lived in the palace. I miss the big rooms and beautiful art. I do not blame Korra or Bolin or anyone for this push back at all though please don’t get that impression. They have done so much to help and I am extremely grateful and they deserve a break. I only wish I had more people to take their place so they did not have to work so hard. Is it still cold in Republic City? Tell Bolin and Opal to enjoy their vacation and have fun. Make sure they relax they really need it and it probably wouldn’t hurt you to take a break as well. With what you told me in your last letter it seems Beifong has been giving you a hard time recently.  
Your Wu_

_Hey Wu,_  
_I can’t believe the Earth people are acting the way they are. They should not need to have the Avatar breathing down their necks for them to do the right thing. As far as I’m concerned you’re doing everything right to be democratic so don’t worry about what they say. It’s been great having everyone back in Republic City for the time. Everyone has been enjoying their break. Beifong even decided to give me a few days off. If anyone needs a break Wu, it’s you. You should come to Republic City this upcoming weekend. I’ll be free and I can finally show you around the city like I promised to do. You deserve to take a break just like everyone else and you have been working for months on end. You told me you drank through all your tea already so we can pick some more up. Let me know soon and I’ll make some plans for us.  
Yours, Mako._

Wu was unsure about leaving Ba Sing Se, the city was still having issues with looting and riots. The fighting had died down a lot recently, but he still feared that if he left things would take a turn for the worst. He had to remind himself that he was not the King and Mako was right when he said Wu needed and deserved a break. He wanted to agree to visiting, but there was also an issue with his guards. With Ba Sing Se’s law enforcement in shambles his two guards were busy attempting a re-haul of the entire police force. Wu knew he would be safe in Republic City though, as long as he had Mako by his side he would always be safe. 

He wrote Mako back agreeing to visit for a couple days his letter was short and just stated that he could spare the days and what time we would take the train into Republic City that Friday afternoon. He signed his letter with his usual “Your Wu”. The signatures were no longer used in a joking fashion like they had been the first time they were written out. By the third letter using them Wu began worrying that it was the true state of his intentions writing Mako. He tried to leave out the Your and sign his letter just Wu but Mako had asked about it in his response sounding hurt over the loss of the Your. Wu immediately claimed it had slipped him mind and never forgot to sign “Your Wu” again.


	4. Chapter Four

For the Earth delegate’s trip Mako had made plans to pick Wu up from the train station drop his bags off at Mako’s apartment then have lunch with Bolin and Opal. In order to give Wu the vacation he deserved Mako booked them different actives all through Saturday and the half day Sunday before Wu had to leave back to Ba Sing Se. The fire-bender had gotten ready for their nice lunch before meeting up with Wu so they could quickly get to the restaurant once the tan man arrived. When the train pulled up and Wu stepped off alone Mako’s eyebrows lowered.

“Why didn’t anyone come with you to protect you”Mako said taking large steps up to the Earth nation leader. Wu was frozen on spot his eyes wide taking in the sight of Mako’s long legs in tight black pants and a certain dark red paisley button up dressing his top half. The shirt was in fact Mako’s perfect size wrapping around his strong arms and toned chest the top button was undone in a more casual fashion. Wu swallowed to rehydrate his throat a sly smirk coming to his face. 

“I see you like the shirt I got you. I knew it would look good on you”he crossed his arms proudly and Mako’s cheeks burned. 

“It’s a nice shirt”was all Mako could muster out of his tight throat he looked away and Wu dropped his arms.

“It’s good to see you Mako”Wu said in a soft tone then moved forward for a hug. Mako let his arms find their way around Wu’s waist while the shorter man held around the tall fire-bender’s neck. They held each other close taking a few moments to enjoy the feeling of being with the other. Wu breathed in the natural sweetish scent of Mako’s cologne inhaling a long breath happily. 

The two stopped at Mako’s apartment only briefly to drop Wu’s suitcase off Mako teased Wu for only bringing one considering how heavily he usually packs then the two set out for the restaurant to meet Bolin and Opal. When they got to the restaurant the couple was already seated at a table and Bolin stood to give his famous hugs. When Bolin hugged his brother he noted the cologne squinting slightly at the smell. 

“Wu it has to be nice to be away from the constant work of Ba Sing Se”Opal smiled while folding her napkin onto her lap. Wu returned her smile, he and Mako were sitting on one side of the table and he was tugging nervously at the table cloth.

“It’s good to have a break. I’ve been dying to see Republic City since the new portal opened so I’m excited to be here”he smiled and she nodded along. They all made comfortable conversation as they waited for food and throughout their meal. As the lunch went on Wu felt himself relax into a pleasant social mood. Being away from people for so long had left him almost lost and confused. 

“I’m gonna use the restroom”Wu stood and pushed his chair in giving a small nod to the people at the table. Mako watched as the tan man walked away his monochromatic green outfit reminding Mako of the city of Ba Sing Se itself. 

“So what’re you guys gonna do for the weekend?”Opal asked grabbing up her water cup for a drink. Mako turned back towards the table and cleared his throat.

“I booked a ferry tour for tomorrow. And we’re gonna take a hike up to the city’s best viewpoint. Then maybe a play. I’ve got some things planed for Sunday too. I’m just not sure what to do after this. Where do you guys think I should take him”Mako sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. The two were quiet Bolin tried to avoid his brother’s eyes before finally thinking of something. 

“How about shopping? Wu likes shopping”he said quickly. All at once Mako realized that the two did not know Wu all that well. Mako shook his head to the recommendation. “Maybe the spa, doesn’t he like that too”Bolin asked. 

“Yeah, but I already plan for us to do that stuff Sunday”Mako said shaking his head he leaned forward and laid his arms on the table.

“The lily gardens downtown have been open. They’re closing soon so you can only see the flowers for a few more days”Opal said and Mako thought for a minute. 

“Kinda girly”he finally decided and Opal narrowed her eyes at him she was going to start an argument about that comment but Bolin cut in.

“This coming from someone wearing perfume”The Earth-bender laughed and Mako sat up straight.

“It’s cologne”he said defensively and Bolin laughed again. 

“Well all I know is I haven’t smelt you where that stuff since you went out with Asami”Bolin rolled his eyes and Mako’s face jolted with attention. When he was getting ready it had not crossed his mind how long it had been since the last time he wore the cologne. 

“So what?”Mako shrugged plastering a guarded expression on his face Bolin only raised his eyebrows in response.

“I’m back. Did you all miss me”Wu sat back in his chair and Mako turned to him.

“Sure, so I don’t really have anything planned for the rest of today. What would you want to do?”he asked his foot tapped the hardwood floor as Wu took a minute to think. 

“Could we go see the spirit portal? I’ve never seen one close up”he glanced down then looked up to Mako his eyes gleaming with excitement. Mako tried to keep hold his his stoic guarded expression while his skin crawled with a steady heat.

“Yeah of course”Mako agreed with a nod then he slowly turned back to Bolin and Opal who were watching the exchange awkwardly. “Do you guys wanna come with us?”Mako asked and the couple shared a glance. 

“Nah, we got a lot to do at home”Bolin said waving his hand with a smile. The group wished each other goodbye and went their separate ways. Mako and Wu took a short taxi ride over the the center of Republic City where the large beacon shot up into the sky.

“Korra said a lot of spirits have been settling around this area”Mako said as they walked towards the huge crater gauged into the land. Spirit vines had taken over the area wrapping around the hallowed Earth making arches and forming walkways like a short maze to the center where the portal sat. In an attempt to beautify the spirit vines bushes and flowers had been planted all around. The blast zone from the energy gun had turned into a wonderland of greenery.

“Wow it’s beautiful”Wu said his eyes wide as he looked down into the park the green of the twirling vines and climbing flowers reflected back in Wu’s eyes matching his vibrant jade irises. Mako’s breath hitched in his throat and he quickly cleared it to get himself back into a normal mindset.

“Come on. We can go all the way up to the portal”Mako said motioning for Wu to followed him down on the path.

Wu huffed as he stepped over thick vines on the ground and stumbled slightly when he foot caught one. “If I knew we we’re going to be walking so much I would have worn different shoes”he brushed his nice shirt of wrinkles. Mako let out a low chuckle he had rolled his button up above his elbows showing off his toned forearms much to Wu’s distraction. 

“Come on I know you can do it”Mako cocked an eyebrow and motioned with his head towards the rest of the path “We’re almost there”. They continued walking finally reaching the center of the maze. Wu stared wide eyed and open mouthed up at the yellow tinted spirit portal. Two long serpent spirits flew out from the beam flying high above the two humans. There was a short fence and gate surrounding the spirit portal keeping any random person from stumbling into the spirit world accidentally. 

“It’s amazing to think Korra made this”Wu said quietly and Mako nodded silently beside him. The detective had been to visit the portal a few times with different groups of people and each time he was equally amazed. The two walked around the circumference of the portal gazing up at its brilliance. When they viewed the sight long enough Mako laid his hand on the back of his head.

“So what do you want to do next”he asked awkwardly the day was winding down and the sun would be setting in a little while. Wu put his hands on his hips and looked up to Mako happily.

“I don’t care. What would you like to do?”he asked with a smile, but Mako only shook his head. 

“This is your visit. I only want to do what makes you happy”he almost ran his hand through his hair but he stopped himself as to not mess up his style.

Wu laughed lightly bringing a hand to cover up his mouth Mako’s eyelids lowered into a tired took as Wu laughed at him. “Mako”Wu lowered his hand “This is your vacation too. I want you to have fun with me. What do you want to do?”. Mako let out a breath then smirked as an idea popped into his mind. 

“Fine you wanna do something fun? Let’s go”he started moving out of the vine maze Wu following behind him. The two pulled up to the Sato residence Mako got out of the taxi first lending a hand to Wu as the Earth leader stepped out. 

“Why are we here?”Wu asked his eyebrows high with confusion Mako smirked once more then pointed towards the side of the house. Wu looked his eyes locking onto the circular dark asphalt racetrack. “The racetrack?”Wu said his voice going a tad higher than normal. “It’s dangerous. Even when I was staying here I didn’t go near the thing. I’m not that stupid”Wu said drawing himself back slightly. Mako put a hand on his hip and leaned towards the track with a smooth smirk on his face. 

“Well it won’t be dangerous with me. Don’t you trust me?”his voice was low and teasing and made a chill creep up on Wu’s arms. The tan man’s nervousness slowly faded away and was replaced with a temped interest. 

“You know I do Mako”Wu said with a light chuckle and the two started walking over to the racetrack. “Asami won’t mind us doing this right?”Wu asked as Mako pulled open the garage doors to the small race cars. 

“Yeah she told me I could test them out when I wanted”Mako assured shoving the door up out of the way he looked into the dark garage holding two racers. “Grab a helmet”he pointed to a shelf on the right side of the garage. Wu went to grab two helmets while Mako found the keys hanging on the back wall. The fire-bender slid into the low powerful car rubbing his hands over the skinny steering wheel. Wu held a helmet out to Mako tucking his own under his arm the taller man took the offering. “Hop in”he pointed behind himself and Wu shifted on his feet the seat behind Mako was small. Wu carefully stepped into the car slipping himself close behind Mako’s broad shoulders. His legs stretched out on either side of the driver’s body and he swallowed. Mako jammed the keys into the slot and twisted forcing the car engine to turn over with a loud rumble. The vibration of the car ran through both the men Wu’s body teasing with the feeling. Mako shoved the helmet on disregarding his hair all together and Wu followed with a slower motion attempting to keep his hair in a more presentable style afterwards. “You might want to hold on. I’ve never driven one of these before”Mako smirked his foot lowering on the gas pedal. Wu’s throat ran dry before the car surged forward with a jolt his hands quickly gripped to Mako’s shoulders. 

The car crept forward at a normal speed until they reached the real racetrack it came to a slow stop at the starting line. Mako’s fingers flexed over the wheel a burning dangerous excitement growing inside him. Wu was surprised how worried he was it felt like the two swapped personalities for the afternoon. The sun was slowly lowering in the sky and Mako fixed his goggles over his eyes. Suddenly his foot dropped down on the pedal and the wheels spun below them kicking up smoke before finally catching. The car shot forward the two inside knocked back slightly with the speed. Wu’s hands shook and he wrapped his arms completely around Mako’s neck pulling himself to press flush against the fire-bender’s back. The machine flew down the round road Mako leaning into each turn. They were reaching speeds he could only dream of in a normal car and the rush of wind deafened the world outside.

Wu’s eyes had snapped closed with a tight fear when the car surged forward but slowly they came undone. The world was passing them by in a blurry flash, the wind was blowing all around them, and the roar of the engine as they thundered down the track filled him with a teaming excitement. Exhilaration flowed through Wu and his arms came lose from Mako’s neck his hands hanging down on the man’s shoulders once more. A huge smile came to his face and he let out a loud laugh. 

“This is amazing”he yelled over the loud rushing wind Mako laughed with him pressing harder on the gas to increase their speed ever further. After a few laps around Mako slowed them to a stop and parked them near the driveway back to the garage. “I’ve never felt like that”Wu shouted Mako flinching away from the loud voice in his ear. 

“I told you it would be fine with me”Mako smirked and Wu slid away pushing his hands against Mako’s shoulder blades. He wedged himself out of the car and yanked the helmet off his head running a hand through his hair to fix the mess. After Mako parked the car Wu talked excitedly all the way back to Mako’s apartment about the amazing experience. Mako had a soft smile on his face as Wu talked he unlocked his apartment door and let it fall open. His apartment was on the smaller side with a kitchen to the immediate left of the door and a living room beyond that. His bedroom was on the right side the doorway opening into the living room and the bathroom situated right beside it. The kitchen had a dark palate with black counters and dark wood cabinets. His living room was comfortable looking with a long soft grey couch and wood coffee table. A wide painting hung behind the couch with soft blue splashes of paint mixing with warm reds and oranges bleeding into mild greens and pale yellow colors. There were tall stools tucked under a breakfast bar cutting the kitchen off from the living room and Wu looked around with a smile his talking petering out. “You’re apartment is really nice. I didn’t know you had style”he smirked and entered the apartment scanning the tall ceilings matching that of the tall windows making up the entire back wall of the apartment. Thick spirit vines were climbing up the side of the building making slats of clarity between their hefty green masses. 

“Actually Asami helped me pick everything out”Mako said in a flat voice and Wu laughed. The tan man walked further into the apartment while Mako went to warm water for tea. 

“That makes more sense. I like the painting”Wu pointed blinking at the lovely abstract artwork. Mako left the stove heating his teapot of water and kicked his shoes off near the door then joined Wu on the soft living room rug.

“She made me hang that up too. It just looks like junk to me”he shrugged slightly he had never had an eye for art. Wu started leaning to the right his body slowly stretching until he was almost upside down Mako watched with high eyebrows and a confused frown. 

“It’s upside down”Wu said bolting upright. With the new information Mako’s eye snapped over to the painting. He tried to imagine it right side up and what it would look like but it was hard for him to do. “You see this painting is an abstract version of a old classic piece telling the legend of the four elements”Wu explained moving over to the couch. He climbed on the sofa with his knees making sure that his shoes stayed off the fabric. His hands ghosted over the canvas the oil paint below just barely touching the tips of his fingers. “This is the strong Earth element working with the flexible air meeting with the bright fires and abundant waters. It’s all about balance and the mixture of all elements together equally”Wu looked back to Mako with a soft smile “It’s about how to see the world”. Mako’s lips parted and suddenly he could see the art work for the wonderful beautiful piece is was.

Mako shook his head “I can’t believe you knew that from a bunch of upside down paint splatters”he ran a hand through his hair. Wu chuckled and slid off the couch he went to remove his shoes.

“I had to study a lot of art when I was learning to be a King. Kinda of a weird subject but I always liked it”he shrugged and laid his shoes carefully beside the couch. Mako nodded his eyes drifting back up to the painting he would have to remember to fix it the correct orientation. Once the tea was ready the two sat on the couch and had a cup of the lavender matcha tea chatting easily about Wu’s trip and Mako’s last few days of work. As the night went on and the late hours crept up on them Wu moved closer to the fire-bender. The two had changed into more comfortable clothes. Wu had a matching set of light green pajamas while Mako threw on any random tee shirt and sweat pants. The detective had turned on his radio in the kitchen to fill the small amount of silence between them but the soft music was now making it easy for Wu to fall asleep. 

His head found a comfortable position on Mako’s shoulder the action normal to them as he used to sleep on Mako’s shoulders during long car trips. The fire-bender only shifted to make Wu more comfort. The tan man’s legs were relaxed bent beside him and he leaned against Mako’s shoulder his eyes closed calmly. Even Mako’s eyes closed without his knowing and he woke up a few songs later his neck already gaining a cramp. The fire-bender moved taking Wu’s shudders in his hands the Earth ambassador was a deep sleeper and Mako had moved him tons of times when he had done this before. He laid Wu on his side in the middle of the couch where he was already seated and pulled a small blanket off the top of the sofa then laid it over Wu’s sleeping frame. With tired eyes Mako only shut off the lights and radio then slumped back down on the couch burrowing comfortably into the cushions and arm rest.


	5. Chapter Five

In the morning Mako stretched his shoulders uncomfortably he rolled his shoulder and cracked his neck then looked over to Wu. The tan man was on his back one leg propped up against the couch cushions and one arm pressed over his eyes blocking out the sun. Mako smiled and stood he started pulling pans and food out to make breakfast. Wu was woken up by the soft clinking of utensils against pans and the wafting smell of sweet waffles. He pulled his arm off his eyes and sat up rubbing his palm against his right eye to get the sleep out of it. 

“Mako?”Wu asked he pulled the blanket off his body and left it on the couch. The chef in the kitchen glanced over then smirked.

“Thought I’d start breakfast while I waited for you to wake up”Mako said looking down to his small pan of eggs. Wu pulled a stool out and slid into the seat resting his elbows on the cold countertop. 

“Oh I get to taste Mako’s cooking”he smiled tiredly and Mako only scoffed focusing on tending to the eggs. Wu’s hands rose and his held up his head on his palms a soft smile coming to his face as he watched Mako sway moving to check the cast iron waffle press and the small pan of eggs. The apartment was filled with the sweet scent of baked waffles and syrup once Mako finished. He plated a perfectly round waffle with a side of eggs and slid the plate in front of Wu setting the glass syrup bottle in front of him. Wu pressed his lips and sat up straight there was a calm inside him and a distant indistinct feeling of longing. Wu praised Mako’s cooking as he ate through the plate Mako rolling his eyes and humbly deferring the praise. 

Once they were both finished Mako took their plates to the sink he wiped his hands on a towel and tossed it down on the counter. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us”he smirked and Wu excitedly clapped his hands together. 

“Oh what has the travel agent Mako put together for us on this fine day”Wu joked getting up out of his seat he held his arms out and smiled widely. 

Mako chuckled and shook his head, “You’ll have to wait to see. Just get dressed”he turned the sink on soak the dishes. “Oh and wear comfortable shoes”he added with a smirk and Wu’s smile dropped. The two arrived at the Republic City pier the sun already high in the sky Wu held a hand out over his eyes blocking the bright light from his view. He stared out into the water the blue lapping over itself creating foaming tips on waves. He breathed in the ocean mist and let out a relaxed breath. 

“There it is”Mako pointed drawing Wu’s attention away from the sea his finger was directed at a large ferry making its way slowly over to the tip of the pier. “This ferry goes out onto the sea and then circles Republic City. You can see a lot of the outskirts from it”Mako explained. His short sleeved red plaid shirt hugged his biceps when his arm was outstretched pointing to the boat and Wu’s eyes moved back up the arm settling on Mako’s face. The idea of the calming waves and the sights of the city made Wu smile, but the notion of spending his time with Mako filled him with true joy. 

The boat ride was approximately two hours the waves rocking the boat lightly the city bustling back on the land. Wu pushed himself up slightly on the guard rail and pointed out towards the city. 

“You can see the Human Spirit Relations building from here”he said excitedly Mako quickly grabbed his arm. 

“Careful, you’ll fall”with a light tug he pulled Wu back away from the edge of the boat. His worry made Wu smile he missed the wet blanket Mako that always thought of everything and worried constantly. Although he enjoyed when the dangerous adrenaline filled Mako came out as well. The boat dropped them off on the opposite side of the city and Mako had them take a taxi to the mountains just beyond city limits.

“What is this?”Wu asked looking up at a tall mountain there were a few people high on the peak. Mako stretched his back turning his entire body to crack his spine in preparation. 

“It’s a hike. You walk up to the peak of the mountain. There’s an amazing viewpoint up there. You can see all of Republic City”he looked up to the top while Wu frowned. 

“Mako”Wu let out a long whine his arms hanging down and his lips frowning. The scene sent Mako back to before when he first met Wu and he could not help but laugh. “You know I’m not fit enough for this”Wu said pouting lightly. 

Mako rolled his eyes and started walking forcing Wu to begin as well. “You can do it. I know you have it in you. It’s just walking”he shrugged as they started the trek up the mountain side. As they walked Wu breathed heavily and kicked rocks away from his shoes. He did not own any hiking type shoes and his flats were getting dusty with the loose dirt. 

He huffed stopping to hunch over with his hands on his knees he blinked quickly. “Are we almost there?”he asked in a tired voice and Mako laughed. The fire-bender would be lying if said he did not get some satisfaction by seeing the Earth leader struggling to do something so simple. 

“Not even close. We’re probably a quarter of the way there”he smirked as Wu groaned. They continued moving Wu’s hand found it’s way to Mako’s forearm for support as they climbed and Mako let the hand stay his skin burning under the touch. The mountain path was mostly covered by thick trees which cooled them during their hike. Mako began moving a bit faster Wu’s hand slipped away and the tan man stopped to lean on a tree as he let out long puffs of air. Mako had walked off a few feet and Wu huffed before going to continued after him. As the Earth leader walked he stumbled on some loose rocks and kicked them out of his way staring down at the ground as he stepped beside Mako who had stopped finally. 

“I hate nature”Wu muttered looking up his breath caught in his throat as he saw the entirety of Republic City splayed out before him. The roads twisted through the land just as the vines did near the portal. Shining lights gleamed throughout the city from the sun catching glass at the perfect angle and cars crawled along like ants. The tall buildings, some of which were still in process of being rebuilt, stood against the sky and right in the middle was the portal as bright as ever even in the mid-day sun. Life teamed below people interacting wonderfully with other people and spirits alike. There was an aura of calm and welcoming around the city radiating into the sky and settling over the large area like a bubble of protection. Wu let out a shaky breath of air his shoulders falling. 

“You like it”Mako asked in a smooth soft voice Wu continued staring forward his lips parted in a calm awe. 

“More than anything”Wu said his voice light hovering in the air like the scent of the fresh pine needles. “This is what I want for Ba Sing Se. For all of the Earth nation. Peace”Wu continued blinking slowly as he took everything in. Mako let Wu’s soft amazement and his desires for his nation wash over him feeling the strong want for peace settle in his heart. 

In the wake of the calming view Wu had a much easier time hiking down the mountain. The two stopped for lunch at a small cafe once they got back into the city. Wu leaned on the table stirring a spoon of honey into his tea.

“What’s next on the agenda?”he asked pulling his feet under his chair his legs were sore from the hike so he hoped Mako would not say more walking. 

“I was thinking we’d go see a play. It’s supposed to be funny”Mako wiped his mouth and tossed his napkin down onto his plate. Wu sat up with a smile he loved a good play he had seen hundreds probably thousands.

“Are we gonna stop by your place to change first?”Wu asked brushing the bottoms of his tight pants free of dirt. Mako smirked then rolled his eyes.

“There’s something you haven’t grown out of. You’ll be fine”he crossed his arms ready to listen to the tan man’s argument as Wu gasped. 

“Are you serious Mako. We just spent hours climbing a mountain and we’re all sweaty now and you want me to enjoy my night at a play wearing gross dirt covered clothes”he rambled and Mako’s half smile half smirk only grew. “I mean have you seen my shoes they’re covered in dirt and if I had known we were gonna climb the largest mountain in the world I would have worn shorts”Wu continued complaining throwing his hands out dramatically. “All I want is to feel like I actually belong in a theater is that too much to ask. You might be okay with wearing you’re sweaty clothes but I am not”Wu pressed a hand into his chest and Mako finally waved a hand quieting Wu.

“Aright will you stop whining if we go back”he urged with a small chuckle Wu gave a triumphant proud smile and nod. Mako replaced his shirt with a plain black button up then waited for Wu to change for twenty minutes before knocking loudly on the bedroom door. “The play is gonna be over by the time you’re finished. Come on”he called through the wood. 

“Alright fine. I’m ready”Wu left Mako’s bedroom a couple minutes after his warning wearing a white dress shirt and light green tight high waisted pants his shirt was tucked neatly into the pants and was finished with a matching light green ascot. His pants stopped just over his ankle and he had shining white shoes to complete his look he stood for a second to let Mako’s eyes scan his outfit. The fire-bender’s gaze lingered over the high waist of Wu’s pants hugging against his thin hips. He suddenly felt very underdressed compared to the Earth leader, but he stood anyway. 

“Alright you’re dressed. Let’s go”he motioned with his head and Wu put a finger to his chin.

“Don’t I look good?”he asked in a melodic voice and Mako’s eyes snapped away from him training instead on the art above the couch. 

“You already know my answer is yes. Come on”he moved away and Wu bit his bottom lip his chest tightening and cheeks burning. The play was a long three hours but was funny as promised and even managed to pull a laugh from the stoic Mako. The two grabbed take-out for dinner and returned to Mako’s apartment to rest for the remaining hours of the night. Mako tossed their take-out boxes while Wu made himself more comfortable on the couch curling his legs underneath him once more. Mako returned holding a tall dark bottle of sake and two small sake glasses. Wu’s eyebrows shot up and Mako placed the alcoholic beverage on the coffee table.

“You want a shot?”Mako asked popping the cork of the bottle with a muted pop. Wu altered his position on the couch moving to press his feet on the floor.

“Mako, you’re a bad cop. You know I’m underaged”Wu smirked and raised an eyebrow while Mako went ahead pouring two cups of the liquid. The evidently bad cop held the cup out to Wu who took it slowly. 

“You’re almost 21”Mako shrugged with a smug grin then held his cup out for a clink against Wu’s the tapping of their cups together collided well with the floating music. It only took two and half small shots to make Wu slip into a sleepy tipsy state. His body was heavy on the couch his arms wrapped around Mako’s left arm his head resting wearily on the fire-bender’s shoulder. 

“As bad as this makes you as a police officer I would still kill to have you in Ba Sing Se”Wu mumbled out his words slightly slurred and his eyes closed. “There’s practically no law enforcement”his voice was full of frustration and he threw out a hand in front of them angrily before wrapping it back around Mako’s bicep. 

Mako sniffed with a calm smirk “I could try to get Beifong to help. Or Sue”he offered shifting his arm slightly under Wu’s weight but the man held tight. 

“You should come to Ba Sing Se. I can make you the chief of police. You’d make a great chief. You’re so strong. I trust you Mako and I miss having you around me”his closed eyes lulled him into a sleepy state his words falling off as he talked on. “I miss you Mako”his soft tired voice fell away and Mako swallowed a strangely thick growing feeling in throat his face and body hot. He wanted to blame the heat on the alcohol but he knew better. His eyes moved around the room searching for a possible answer back to what Wu had shared, but when he eventually looked down to offer some type of answer he saw Wu was asleep. 

Wu’s eyes tightened as he woke up his brain yelled for the lights to be turned down but the sun spilling through the windows had little care for his dull headache. He sat up slowly feeling a soft mattress and heavy duvet underneath him. His eyes scanned over the room it was Mako’s mostly empty bedroom. His bed was in the middle of the room a dark wood dresser was pressed against the right wall and besides the door was his desk. The bed was a large size for only one person and there were tall windows matching the ones in the living room. The only thing that the room was lacking was the owner and Wu let out a sigh. The tan man pushed himself out of the bed then attempted to smooth the wrinkles of sleep from his nice dress clothes. He squinted to block out some of the bright sunlight pouring in. 

“Mako?”Wu asked as he left the bedroom rubbing one eye he paused in the doorway his lips sealing tightly. Mako was stretched out on the soft grey couch one arm hanging over the side and the small blanket draped over his body. The tall windows of the living room cast streaks of sun onto him through the separations of the vines. The light reflected beautifully off the bright green vines making the beams flowing into the room just barely tinted green. Wu blinked rapidly taking in the sight of how the glowing morning light looked lovely on Mako’s cheeks. It danced through his hair swirling in the dark strands settling down on the tips of his eyelashes making him appear like a magnificently painted portrait to the onlooking Wu. The portrait in question moved pulling his arm back up and onto his face. He rubbed the side of his face and cracked his eyes open. His back was a tad sore from sleeping on the thinner couch and his arm had light pins and needles. The fire-bender felt a shift in the room’s air and he looked to the side seeing Wu still standing frozen in the doorway of the bedroom. 

“Hey”Mako sat up his voice gravely from the long night Wu let out a careful breath. 

“Sorry about last night. I did warn you that I’ve never drank before though”Wu waved a finger towards Mako a light laugh leaving his mouth. Mako’s lips curled into a small smile and he sat up on the couch seat.

“You weren’t too annoying”he teased and Wu moved further into the room. 

“Thanks for giving me your bed. You really didn’t have to. I would’ve been fine on the couch”Wu rubbed his arm. 

Mako chuckled, “You? In anything less than perfect. I couldn’t imagine it”he stood and stretched his arms while Wu fought back a queasy fluttery feeling in his stomach. 

“What do we have planned for today?”Wu asked moving away from the living room and the display of Mako stretching.

“Well your train leaves around late afternoon. I was thinking we’d do some shopping. Pick up your tea while we’re out but, uh- I booked us a spa massage for 12 so”Mako shrugged his shoulders then shoved his fingers into his dark hair pushing it back then letting it spring forward. 

Wu smiled widely, “A spa day? I thought you didn’t like spa trips”he crossed his arms with a smug smirk. Mako’s eyebrows furrowed defensively and he quickly put on an angry tone to hide his embarrassment. 

“I don’t, but I know you like them so”he shrugged lazily, “It’s only an hour”he added.

Wu laughed his shoulders bouncing lightly, “Watching you endure an hour of massage is the best present I could ever ask for”he smirked deviously while Mako rolled his eyes not even trying to make an attempt to hide his complacent smile. The two guys enjoyed a short breakfast at a place Mako frequented then spent a short while at the outdoor mall. Mako pointed out a few stores that he liked shopping at. They stopped at the tea shop to grab Wu another box of tea the older woman introduced herself happily. 

“Mako is one of my most frequent costumers. You must be Wu”she said with a sweet smile Wu slowly looked over to Mako with a mischievous tinkle in his eye.

“Yes I am. He’s told you about me?”Wu asked turning back to her the lady nodded. As they left Mako holding the small bag of purchased tea Wu laughed. “You’re a real sweet guy Mako. Telling that lady all about me”he laced his fingers together and teased the taller man. The detective rolled his eyes keeping them away from Wu’s. 

“I was always there buying you tea. She asked alright, you just came up. You know you should really find a tea shop of your own”Mako muttered and Wu grabbed onto Mako’s arm melodramatically. 

“I like it better when it comes from you”Wu sang out keeping his hold of Mako’s arm as they continued walking down the rows of sellers. The spa they were booked at was only a block away so the two walked down to it. As they stepped into the building Wu let go of Mako’s arm and grabbed up a massage guide. “Now I know you won’t be interested in anything actually good”Wu said reading over the guide while Mako went to the front desk. The business had a couple waiting room chairs and a dark door leading to the back rooms. “You should probably stick with something simple like the shiatsu massage”Wu pointed it out holding the paper up to Mako. The already uncomfortable man gave a short grunt in response then glanced away.

“What are you gonna get?”he asked more concerned with Wu’s time than his own the tan man pulled the guide back. 

“Hot stone deep tissue massage for sure”Wu tossed the paper down on the small table between the two waiting chairs then took a seat Mako let out a sigh and followed him. “It’s the most relaxing massage type there is”Wu started with a smile. “The hot rocks just searing the pain away then the pressing and pulling of the tease muscles”Wu’s voice went low as he explained pressing his hands together and smiling in a dreamy haze. Mako licked his lips carefully then turned away.

“Sounds painful”he muttered lazily and Wu laughed waving his hand to dismiss Mako’s worry. The rigid fire-bender was called back first and he glanced over to Wu before standing. Wu gestured for him to go forward and the two did not see each other until an hour later. Mako’s foot was tapping impatiently and he stood immediately when Wu exited the back. The Earth leader let out a calming long sigh with his arms stretched out above his head. 

“That was nice”he sighed out and Mako pressed his lips tightly “Thank you Mako. I really needed that”his voice was suave and relaxed from his hot stone therapy. It felt as if Mako had hot stones searing on his own skin and he motioned with his head for them to leave. 

As the day wound down the time came to pack Wu’s suitcase and see him off at the train station. It was the second time the two had to say goodbye and it was just as difficult. Watching for the train waiting to return to a place of complete uncertainty caused a great rising ocean of fear to climb inside Wu. It was a slap in the face to go from a wonderful relaxing trip to a fearful shaking return. He had to go back to the unpredictability of Ba Sing Se and leave behind somewhere that made perfect sense to him. He had to leave Mako’s side. The fire-bender tried to clear his throat as he shoved down the vague hanging worry in his mind. There was always a base level of worry for the Earth nation leader and it was easy for Mako to write it off as his past dedication to protecting Wu, but there was another layer of sad frustration. He did not want to see Wu leave. He knew what was waiting for the leader back in Ba Sing Se. As much as Mako tried to brush off his want to have Wu stay as a way to protect him he knew it was only an excuse. He simply wanted Wu to stay.

When the train for Ba Sing Se pulled up a large puff of smoke mixed with steam rose from the ground and engulfed the sides of the train cars. Mako swallowed forcing his body to turn towards Wu.

“It was great having you out”he started and Wu smiled up at him. “I wish you could stay longer, but I know you’ve got work to do. Be careful in Ba Sing Se”he gave Wu a strong stern look. 

“Thanks for giving me an amazing vacation Mako. I wouldn’t have had a better time anywhere else in the world with anyone else. I’m really gonna miss you when I get back”Wu looked down to his feet feeling a steady heat rise on his neck traveling into his face. Mako’s heart picked up in speed and his body broke out in a hot fit. This was a hotness that he only felt a few times before when he first started dating Korra and Asami. It was a hotness that fire-benders sometimes had issues with when they could not regulate their body temperatures. His temperature rose a dull burning sensation laying across his entire body like soft flames overtaking his nerves. A fast panic settled in Mako’s mind and his hand rose slowly. The fire-bender’s hand landed down on Wu’s shoulder heavily, jolting the shorter man.

“I’ll miss you to buddy”he blurted out and Wu’s eyes startled open in a strange disbelief. Mako quickly yanked his burning hand away and his legs jerked him back a large step. Wu had never seen Mako acting this strange and awkward. “Well uh- travel safe”the detective gave a stiff single wave with his arm in a 90 degree angle. Wu nodded slowly then pulled his suitcase along and boarded the train his mind utterly focused with the last minute. Once the Earth nation leader was out of viewing range Mako hung his head and ran a hand through his hair.


	6. Chapter Six

Wu wrote Mako a few days after returning to Ba Sing Se. The night was late as always and he had spent the last three hours with his now ex-guards discussing the law enforcement issues in the Earth nation capital. 

_Dear Mako,  
I'm back in Ba Sing Se safe and sound. I can't believe how different the weather is here compared to Republic City. It’s already getting hot here and the rain has been coming in. I'm worried about the farmlands outside the outer ring. A lot of the land was ruined during troop marches or burned by angry farmers. They could flood easily and someone might get hurt. Besides that, the representatives that seemed unsure before are settled for now and we even gained another one. Maybe we're getting into a solid start for the Earth Republic. I'm hopeful. Did anything cool happen after I left buddy? Or have you just been budding around being buddies with everyone? Anyway write me back when you get a chance you know I love hearing from you Buddy.   
Your buddy, Wu._

He smirked to himself and drew a small winking face after his signature then sent his letter out seal and all. When Mako read over the letter he let out a low groan and fell back in his chair letting the paper hang loosely in his hand. “I’m so stupid”he muttered then reluctantly pulled himself upright and started his response back.

_Wu,  
Ha ha. If you can't tell that’s sarcasm. Everything is boring and normal here. I had a couple extra days off after you left and I spent them visiting Korra and Asami. If it’s getting rainy there make sure you being an umbrella when you go out. I don't have much advice to give about the flooding farm lands I guess all you can do is warn them. About the buddy thing, I messed up alright. Could you just forget I said that. And don't sign your letters that way.   
Yours, Mako_

As the cold session ended and spring bloomed over Republic City the air nomads and Bolin got back to helping out in the Earth nation. Mako went to see them off at Air Temple Island and as he hugged his brother Bolin mentioned that he could always joined them. Bolin had asked Mako to join them a couple times before, claiming that having an extra pair of helping hands never hurt anything, but Mako always declined explaining to his brother that he belonged in Republic City. When Bolin once again recommended Mako join them in the Earth nation the fire-bender actually considered it. With the level of affected lives rising each day due to Kuvira’s rein Mako had began thinking that he should be lending a hand seeing as Republic City was fully operational as normal. The detective thought about requesting a leave of absence from Beifong, but before he fully committed the chief called him into her office. Mako gave her door a light knock and she called for him to enter.

“You wanted to see me chief?”Mako asked stepping into the office a large spirit vine had made the left wall of her dark headquarters it’s own and actually brought light into the space. 

“I just got word from Sue about riots and turf wars going on in the Earth nation”she said in an angry tone she pushed a large stack of papers off to the side of her desk and motioned for Mako to sit in the chair across from her he did as he was told. 

“I know, the law enforcement in the Earth nation is completely destroyed. They barely have police. Most of the people who served in the police were taken or converted for Kuvira’s army. The capital has been operating under a state of emergency for months now”he explained holding out his hands his heart raced when he thought about the stories Wu described to him in his letters. Lin’s eyebrows shot up and she sat upright in her chair.

“Why haven’t I heard about any of this?”she asked quickly grabbing on to the armrests of her chair Mako only licked his lips. “How do you know about this?”she asked bringing a hand to her chin as she thought.

“Wu told me”Mako said in a sturdy voice the chief tapped her fingers on her desk as she planned. 

“Maybe I should go to Ba Sing Se then. If the capital is secured people will start falling into line. Right now the Earth people are so scared they can’t see the future. Ba Sing Se was the city that was never supposed to fall”she shook her head slowly but Mako’s lips parted. 

“Chief, if it’s not out of line, with the protests still going on over the Human Spirit Relations building maybe you leaving isn’t the best idea. This is your force and no one can lead it like you. If you trust me enough I can help the Ba Sing Se police”he put a hand on his chest and she eyed him in consideration. 

“Mako you are a fine policemen, but the issues in Ba Sing Se are very difficult and require a firm hand”she made a tight fist and Mako nodded. She dropped her hand down then clicked her tongue. “Fine, you go. You have two weeks. Gather information, organize their ranks, try to build back the Ba Sing Se force. If they gain control over the capital things will get better around the nation”she stood and Mako quickly followed. 

“Thank you for the opportunity Chief”he saluted with a stiff arm and she dismissed him. Mako did not wait to return home to write Wu back pulling a paper from his work desk.

_Wu,  
Great news. Beifong and Sue finally talked to each other about the problems with the Earth nation police system. Beifong originally planned to go to Ba Sing Se herself to help out but with things in Republic City still shaky I convinced her to send me instead. So I'll be coming for a couple weeks. You can show me around the new museum in the palace and the gardens and your house. I'm excited to see Ba Sing Se and help you get things at least a little more manageable. I’m also excited to see you again. I know we just saw each other last month but-_

Mako stopped writing he had not paused to consider his words in depth since the first couple of times he wrote Wu. He knew he could tell Wu anything in their letters, but now the words he wanted to write were something that he was not sure he should say. Wu had a lot on his plate at the moment and even if Mako did fully understand his feelings it would be selfish to add them to Wu’s worries. Mako laid his pen down and ran a hand through his hair tugging slightly at the back. He had to face the facts with himself. What was it that he felt he so desperately needed to tell Wu? It was something that existed somewhere deep inside Mako’s mind and inhabited his body. Was it that he missed the Earth leader? Was is how surprised he was at the strong effect Wu actually had on him and how much the tan man impacted his life? The fire-bender was stubborn to admit that. The only people who ever had true impact on his life was Bolin, Korra, and Asami. Each one taught him something different and important. Bolin taught him kindness. Korra taught him courage. Asami taught him caring. So what was it that Wu taught him? He could not quite place that, since it was only a vague feeling that lived and grew inside his chest creeping like vines out between his ribs and into his mind obscuring his thoughts. Maybe Mako just needed to tell Wu that. Whatever that meant. Mako just needed to get it out of his system and into the air then maybe he could focus again instead of spending hours worrying about Wu, wondering what the leader was doing, and imagining what his next letter would say. Mako returned to his page rereading over his words. 

_I just miss you and I have to tell you something. It’s kind of something I need to say in person. See you in Ba Sing Se.  
Yours, Mako._

The detective’s train pulled into Ba Sing Se station on a late afternoon the hot sun hanging low in the sky baking the dry land. He directed himself to his hotel near the Ba Sing Se police station and went to introduce himself to the small staff before he returned to his hotel room to rest for the night after his traveling. In the morning Mako was up early and at the police station working with the few people there to coordinate meetings with Beifong. He suggested that maybe Republic City send over some extra police while the Earth nation was rebuilding just to help keep the peace. The person most in charge of the station was an ex-military army leader and Mako treated him as the chief of the small Ba Sing Se force. He was a tall man with dark hair and he explained to Mako the extent of the riots and looting still happening in the city daily. 

“They protest outside the Earth Republic hall everyday. At first it was peaceful but time makes people desperate”he reported and Mako stared down at a list of different places with riots and protests that they had to quell.

“Well let’s just send whoever we can out to these big ones. I’ll take up the hall for today make sure the representatives get out safe”he was well aware the the protest would be entirely against Wu and that the Earth leader would be one of the people to protect. The man nodded to Mako’s suggestions allowing the young policemen to take control over the few forces they had for the day. 

Mako stood outside the large doors to the Earth Republic hall, it was a building near the old palace that Wu had converted into rooms for meetings with one large room for the big gatherings. Mako held his arms out urging people to stay away from the large doors as they opened. The angry Earth nation protesters were yelling about freedom and no government while the representatives left. Mako would not claim to understand politics in their entirety but he knew anarchy was not the answer. The protest was staying more or less peaceful with shouting and yelling the worst of the problems. All Mako had to do was watch for anything out of the ordinary and keep people from hurting one another. He had his arms out blocking protesters from delegates when he heard Wu’s voice talking formally with a another person. 

“Mako?”Wu’s voice suddenly shouted and the fire-bender quickly turned around. “Mako what’re you doing here?”Wu rushed over with a huge smile coming to his face he went to hug Mako but the detective quickly put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. 

“It’s not safe here Wu”he said professionally and Wu straightened himself tugging down on his jacket.

“Right okay. How about we go to dinner then”Wu recommended and Mako agreed, but first they stopped by the police station for him to quickly check in. 

“I sent you a letter telling you I was coming. Didn’t you get it”Mako asked his leg shaking nervously under the table as they waited for their food. 

Wu frowned sadly, “No not yet I guess. Sorry about that. If I knew you were coming I would have tried to clear my schedule”he slumped over the table his arms reaching out across to Mako’s side. The fire-bender smiled softly there was a serene ease flooding his mind washing away and replacing the worry. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll be here for a couple weeks. We’ll have plenty of time together”he smiled down at Wu who slowly rose off the table. Mako’s expression was soft and caring making Wu’s cheeks warm his heart skipping a beat. 

“Good. There’s a lot to see and a lot to do”Wu smiled widely, but his smile was cut short and dropped. “You’re working with the police right?”he asked his voice gaining a formal tone Mako nodded. “I can’t tell you how much of a relief it is to know someone I trust is here in the city with me”Wu let out a sigh and Mako’s eyebrow furrowed. “I feel like I’ve been doing this all alone. I mean of course the air nomads, Bolin, and Korra are all helping the Earth people, but this whole government thing. It’s all on me”he pressed his fingers into his chest and stared down at the table. “I need to get Ba Sing Se organized. I think after that everything will be a lot easier. If the Earth nation capital is in shambles then no one will feel safe. But it’s hard to do when people here are fighting and bending Earth all over the place”he waved his hands around. 

Mako only watched Wu’s worried face the ease once present in his mind being sucked away and overtaken once more by his vague annoying worry. “But now you’re here so things will get better and easier”Wu laughed lightly to help soften the stiff mood. Mako was still panicking inside his own mind his thoughts clouding over one another. Wu had way too much to worry about for Mako to come in and add stress with his stupid unimportant unclear confessions of what? Confessions of feelings that not even Mako truly understood. Wu did not need the strain of helping Mako through understanding himself along with the doubt of the entire Earth nation. Besides, what would confessing such feelings accomplish anyway Mako asked himself. What was Mako looking for?

“Hey you okay? You seem spacey”Wu asked snapping his fingers in Mako’s face the cop blinked.

“I’m fine. Just thinking. I’m glad I’m here too. There’s a lot of work to do getting Ba Sing Se safe again”he nodded with a stern look and Wu laughed. 

“There’s the strong stoic working-man Mako I need”he gave a coy smile and Mako swallowed before shaking his head a smirk rising to his face. 

“You need a lot more than me”Mako said and Wu shrugged idly. 

“Maybe. But I wouldn’t trade you in for anyone in the world”Wu’s hand twitched on the table as half of his brain told him to reach across and grab Mako’s hand, but the other more rational side of his brain refused the action. Mako insisted on walking Wu back to his house after their dinner. The streets of the upper ring were empty with more people hold up in their houses. The trees had bloomed during the mild spring and were thriving in the humid rainy hot beginning of summer. 

“So, you sure you didn’t get my letter yet”Mako asked his hands tightening in his pockets.

“Nope. But I’ll let you know when I do if you want”Wu was walking near a long dusty half wall and he suddenly stepped up onto the wall. 

“Yeah let me know and- uh”Mako paused stopping to look up at Wu. “What’re you doing”he asked screwing up his face in confusion Wu stuck his arms out.

“Balancing. I used to walk on this wall when I was a kid. It’s still fun”he smiled and they began moving forward at a slower pace Wu three feet higher now. 

Mako glanced around, “You look crazy. This isn’t really governing leader behavior”Mako’s reserved word were canceled out by his enamored smile. “What if you fell”he pointed out his eyes watching Wu carefully. 

“Why can’t leaders be fun like this. Korra has fun and people respect her plenty”he smirked down at Mako. “And if you’re so worried about me falling take my hand”he reached out his hand towards Mako and the fire-bender’s heart raced. Mako’s hand quickly grabbed Wu’s apparently needing little invitation to partake in the action. The fingers locked together Mako’s strong slightly calloused palm pressing to Wu’s soft one. When the end of the wall came Mako’s fingers tightened around Wu’s and the tan man stepped down back onto the pressed walkway. “Yep, it’s still fun”Wu chuckled and Mako smirked then Wu pointed down the road “We’re almost there”. 

“Alright let’s go”Mako motioned with his head and started to step forward but Wu cleared his throat pausing the fire-bender. 

“Uh Mako, are you planning on giving my hand back or did you wanna hold hands all the way there”he smirked devilishly and Mako quickly ripped his hand away.

“You asked me to hold it. You could’ve taken it back whenever you wanted”he forced out a fake angry tone and pressed down an embarrassed blush. Wu laughed loudly a hand covering over his mouth as he did so. 

“You sure are cute when you’re flustered Mako. I was only joking. Come on”Wu walked away leaving Mako to blink in a daze over being called cute. The Earth leader let them into his house a couple people were carrying papers and boxes around. They used many of the extra rooms of the large residence as offices and storage for the old royal documents. “My room is upstairs”Wu directed them to the large staircase in the middle of the house. 

“Oh sir. A letter came for you. I put it on your desk”Wu’s personal assistant relayed as she passed them and he smiled. 

“Thank you. See Mako being patient yields results. Your letter is here now”he took them up to his room on the left side of the second story. 

“About the letter. I don’t want you to read it”Mako said in a low voice as the door shut them into the room alone. Wu turned around to Mako with a confused look he squinted his eyes at the taller man. 

“Why not?”he glanced over to his left at the desk against the wall Mako’s letter was bright white against the dark wood. 

“It’s boring and I’m just talking about how I’m coming here. Not important”Mako urged and Wu went to grab the envelope. Mako flinched slightly when he grabbed the letter and even took a small step closer. 

“I don’t know. You’re getting all weird and twitchy like you do when you’re hiding something. I think it says something else”Wu raised a teasing brow and smirked.

Mako sighed, “Wu I’m serious. There’s nothing important in it. I don’t want you reading it”he went to grab at the letter and Wu held it away his smirk dropping. 

“Okay now I’m sure there’s something in here that I should read”he frowned trying to imagine what Mako could have possibly written. 

“Look it’s just”Mako shoved a hand into his hair his eyes darting away from Wu. “I said something I shouldn’t have. It’s not important”he jaw set and his fingers pulled at his hair. 

“Mako you keep saying it’s not important but is has to have been important enough for you to care this much about me not reading it”Wu blinked then let out a sigh “I’m gonna read it”. He ripped the envelope open and Mako grabbed at the paper once more. 

“Seriously Wu, no”the fire-bender said getting ahold of the letter Wu backed away letting Mako take the paper from him. 

“What is so terrible that it’d make you act like this”Wu asked his eyes searching Mako’s face hopelessly for an answer. Mako sighed realizing that if he had only just let Wu read the stupid letter it would have been less problematic than him making a big deal of it now. 

Mako tightened his fingers on the paper, “I said that I needed to tell you something important in person, but I don’t. I can’t tell you”Mako shook his head and crunched the paper tight in his fist. 

Wu’s eyebrows came together “Why can’t you? What is it?”he asked stepping forward but Mako shut his eyes avoiding the contact. 

“It’s not important. You’ve got other stuff to worry about and I don’t even know what I’m feeling so telling you is a waste of time”he admitted his eyes opening slowly and staring down at Wu with a stern gaze. 

Wu’s lips parted, “What are you feeling Mako?”he asked the words quiet and soft. Mako drew in a long breath pulling together his confidence and strength. 

“I don’t know”he confessed, “All I know is when I’m not with you I worry about you. A lot. I think about you every day. Writing you is always the best part of my week. I miss you when you leave and I don’t like saying goodbye. I have no idea what any of this means and I don’t want you to have to focus on me because you have more important things to do. It just makes me so mad because I don’t understand”Mako shouted the last part his hand flying up to tangle in his hair again. Wu’s eyebrows were high in shock and he licked his lips before answering.

“Mako- um I don’t know how to tell you this but- I’m pretty sure you have a crush on me. That’s what your feelings are. You just like me”Wu said pointedly and Mako’s body ran hot. 

“What? I-”Mako’s shoulders tensed and Wu could see him retracting. 

“But it’s okay. I like you too”Wu held his hands out nervously and they stood in an awkward silence for a few seconds. 

“So, what now?”Mako asked and Wu laughed looking down.

“Well, am I right?”the Earth leader asked and Mako felt a short chuckle come from his chest. 

“I don’t know. I haven’t felt like this in a long time”his hand went to the back of his neck rubbing the strain and stress away. 

Wu’s eyes fell half lidded, “Mako you make me feel so safe and sure of myself. You make me laugh and I really wasn’t lying when I said you were cute when you’re flustered”he smirked and Mako looked up to the ceiling for a second. The fire-bender’s cheeks burned and he shook his head lightly trying to push down a smile from Wu’s teasing. 

Mako looked back down to Wu with a smirk, “Well, you look”he stepped closed. Wu’s bright green eyes were staring up at him swirling with a flirtatious want and a soft smile played on his lips. Mako’s hand rose brushing gently against Wu’s forearm he leaned over the shorter man and watched as Wu’s soft sweet smile turned into a smirk. 

“Mako”Wu said softly, “What’re you doing?”he teased and Mako’s chest constricted his body running incredibly hot. He yanked himself away from Wu and ran both his hand through his hair. 

“I don’t know! God Wu you make this so difficult”he turned away his heart beating faster than ever before. 

Wu laughed, “I’m only teasing you. It’s fun”he giggled out and Mako quickly whipped around. The fire-bender grabbed ahold of Wu’s shoulders with a tight grasp and pulled Wu closer pressing their lips together in a hot feat of desperation. Wu’s body became stiff from shock and he felt Mako’s warm lips moving against his own. His virescent eyes were stuck open and he tried closing them, but by the time he understood what was happening Mako moved away. The Earth leader was frozen his arms stuck to his sides with tight fists. The detective swiped a hand over the side of his face. 

Wu regained his senses, “That was”he breathed out and Mako glanced away. 

“Interesting”Mako finished his voice low bringing Wu’s dreamy thoughts to a screeching halt. The tan man had loved the kiss, he thought it was amazing and he could not believe how long they had waited to enjoy something that nice, but Mako’s reaction was closed off and stiff which made Wu panic. Mako glanced around the room as if avoiding Wu’s eyes then caught a small clock on Wu’s wall and he gave himself an excuse to leave. 

“It’s late and you have a long day tomorrow. You need to rest”Mako pulled himself away taking a couple steps backwards. Wu’s mouth opened slightly his eyes displaying his hurt confusion. 

He closed his mouth, “Right”he answered and the detective took a few more steps back until he was at the door. 

“So- I’ll see you around”his hand rose in another stiff position and he let himself out. That was worst than his goodbye at the train station and both of them knew it.


	7. Chapter Seven

Three days passed without the two seeing each other Wu continued meeting with delegates and attempting to organize Ba Sing Se’s financial system. The sun was setting and casting the land into an orange hue when Mako caught sight of Wu walking down the empty road with the half wall.

“Wu”Mako called making the Earth nation leader pause the fire-bender began jogging over when he got to Wu he let out a breath. The setting sunlight laid over the man’s skin kissing the tan color lightly and making his eyes glint with sun. Mako swallowed then cleared his throat his hands pressed stiff to his sides. 

“Hey”he said and Wu only watched him awkwardly blink “When are you free? I was thinking we could go see the gardens”Mako finally forced the words out. 

Wu raised one eyebrow then licked his lips “I think I’m mostly free after noon in a couple days”he answered thinking of his schedule. 

Mako nodded along, “Perfect I can take a break from the station and we can see the garden together”he held out his hands and Wu smiled.

“I’d like that Mako”he said softly his calm smile managed to bring Mako’s tense shoulders down to a relaxed position and Mako gave solid nod. They met at the opening to the garden two days later Mako tugged at his Republic City police uniform which was making him hot under the bright sun. The garden was mostly untouched and flourishing with the summer rains and without the constant trimming. The high vivid green bushes flowed into overgrown plant sculptures and Wu smiled.

“I hope someday I can make this garden really nice. People could walk together through it. See the beauty of Earth nation nature”he explained as they walked slowly. Mako’s eyes flicked down to Wu’s hand swinging at his side.

“It’s already pretty”Mako said and Wu laughed “There’s a lot more flowers than I thought there’d be”the fire-bender said lifting his hand to brush against a wilting flower on the hedge. 

“Certain flowers are of Earth nation breed only. They can only bloom fully in Ba Sing Se with the weather patterns here”Wu described and Mako chuckled. 

“Yeah, you weren’t kidding when you said it was hot here”he tugged once more at his high collar and Wu laughed at him. 

“You can undo your buttons. I know you’re supposed to be in uniform all the times but I won’t tell”he smirked and Mako’s skin crawled with a consistent low heat making him even hotter under the sun. The cop started unbuttoning the top buttons of the collar as they continued walking. They spent an hour viewing the different selections of the garden Wu explaining what each one meant to the old royal family. 

“I saved the best for last though. My favorite part of the garden”he grabbed Mako’s arm and began pulling him towards the last section for the day. Mako’s eyes widened as he saw a large field circling in a grand swirl filled entirely with white lilies. “These lilies are special to Ba Sing Se. They bloom in the spring and stay all through the summer. Some are dying already, but they’re still beautiful”Wu dropped Mako’s arm and touched the petals of a lily near them. They started walking the spiral of the lily garden viewing the bright open flowers. Eventually they reached the center of the swirl and Wu turned away to poke sadly at some of the wilting flowers. 

“They are beautiful”Mako said in soft voice drawing Wu’s attention back. When the tan man turned back towards Mako stuck a perfect lily behind his ear and Wu flinched away before his fingers gently touched it. “It looks better there though”Mako smirked softly as Wu blushed his eyes blinking slowly his green irises peaking through his lashed. Mako swallowed and held his breath the two subconsciously leaned closer to one another. Abruptly Mako pulled back completely turning his head away. “I should go. My break is probably over by now”he choked out and Wu frowned with a vexed look in his eyes. 

Two days later Wu was forced to visit the police station to discuss the progress of the Ba Sing Se force. The ex-army man told Wu about how they have been struggling to gain people in their ranks and the control that they’ve been attempting to enforce has had protest backlash. There had been no communication between the Earth leader and the detective Mako and when Wu arrived he talked only with the ex-military army man without even seeing Mako in the building. Mako was standing outside the police station building tapping his foot. When Wu stepped out they locked eyes for a second and Wu turned away. Mako rushed over to him and grabbed his hand. 

“Not even a hello?”he asked a bit hurt but when Wu turned around to him with a defensive and angry expression Mako’s throat went dry. 

“I’m sorry Mako you haven’t talked to me or even tired to come see me in days and you expect me to say hello?”Wu said his angry voice hushed for privacy.

Mako dropped Wu’s hand “Listen, things have just been”Mako looked way awkwardly. 

“Weird?”Wu asked his voice sharp and heated making Mako pressed his lips tightly. “No Mako. You’ve been weird”Wu poked Mako’s chest and the fire-bender straightened. “What are you even doing in Ba Sing Se? I thought you wanted to see me, but I feel like you’re further than ever. I’m really thankful you’re here helping me and your work with the police is really important but- maybe Beifong should have come too. You’ve just been so distant”he shook his head anxiously and Mako stared fearfully down at him before glancing away. 

“I just needed time”Mako lied and Wu let out a large puff of air giving Mako a face of hurt. Having the fire-bender only a few minutes away, but being completely unable to be around him caused a dull searing ache to growing inside Wu’s chest. 

“That’s fine. Take all the time you need and when you stop being weird come find me”Wu turned around and walked away back to his duties and meetings. 

Mako threw his arms out, “I’m not being weird”he shouted drawing attention only to himself. He tossed and turned in his hotel bed that night his mind racing and plagued with thoughts about Wu’s words. The tan man looked so hurt his face almost betrayed by Mako’s actions. Mako threw the thin sheet off his body and grabbed up some cloths. He was at Wu’s front door knocking on the thick wood in the late hour. During the night the Earth leader was dangerously alone in the large house and he opened the front door after Mako had banged loud enough to wake him up. 

“Mako? What’re you doing here?”Wu rubbed at his eyes his go to vice for waking himself up quickly. Mako looked down to the ground his feet shifting against the concrete the moon sat high above casting down a white light onto the two. 

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you”Mako conceded his eyes slowly rising up Wu’s matching pajama set up to his slightly messy hair and searching eyes. 

Wu blinked then crossed his arms, “What’s there to think about?”he asked harshly and Mako sighed. 

“About”he licked his lips glancing away for only a millisecond “Us”he finished and Wu dropped his arms down. 

“Mako, is there even an us?”he asked his hands gesturing between the two. “That night we shared an amazing kiss and I thought”Wu shook his head in embarrassment. “I thought we would go from there, but nothing happened. Then in the garden I thought you would kiss me again, but you didn’t. You left. Just like you left the night before. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same about me. Really Mako it is, I’d understand, but don’t toy with me”Wu hugged his arms and Mako’s eyes widened.

“That’s not it Wu. I do like you”Mako stepped inside the house Wu moving aside to allow him to enter. “I like you a lot. I haven’t felt this way in a really long time and it’s never been this hard. I’m just”he let out a choppy sigh “Worried”. His shoulders shrugged heavily “In the past I haven’t exactly been the best boyfriend and I messed up a lot with the people that I cared about. I almost messed things up so bad with both Korra and Asami to the the point that I thought we couldn’t be friends. I just don’t want to ruin things with you”he motioned slowly to Wu and the tan man swallowed. 

“Mako”Wu started, “Why did you wait so long to tell me?”he asked tilting his head slightly. 

Mako let out a long breath relaxing his body “I wasn’t completely ready to admit these feelings were real. It was kinda hard for me to accept. I mean I don’t even know when I started feeling this strongly about you”Mako’s stern eyes fixated on Wu’s face. Wu looked away slightly shy in the moment. 

“I know what you mean. I’m not sure either, but all the little things added up and here we are I guess”Wu held out his hands towards Mako and the detective came closer. 

“I don’t want to ruin what we have. I don’t want to lose you. But at the same time I don’t want to lose this either”Mako took Wu’s hand with his own lacing their fingers together he glanced down at their interlocked hands. 

“You almost ruined it with all your awkwardness and ignoring, but I guess I can forgive you since you were so cute when you were doing it”Wu smiled tauntingly and Mako blew out an annoyed breath. 

“Stop calling me cute. If anyone is cute here it’s you”he urged and Wu only laughed. 

“We already know that”the tan man smirked while Mako rolled his eyes. 

“Why do I like you again?”Mako asked in a sarcastic tone and Wu pulled a hand away bringing it up to Mako’s face. 

“You think you’ll stay after you kiss me this time”Wu asked cocking an eyebrow and Mako smirked, quickly reminded of the answer to his previous question. 

“I think I can manage”he leaned down connecting their lips. This time Wu’s eyes fluttered closed and he pressed himself closer to Mako. His fingers gently combed through Mako’s tortured hair and the fire-bender felt a calm come over him. 

They spent the last three days Mako had left in Ba Sing Se right beside one another whenever they could, but eventually his trip came to a reluctant end. Mako held Wu close hugging him tightly around the waist while Wu gripped around Mako’s neck his face buried in the fire-bender’s shoulder. The train was preparing to leave with only a minute of two left to spare. The new couple held each other as long as they could until the very last second when Mako absolutely had to board the train. There were no words exchanged just a sad wave from the platform from Wu to Mako in the train car. 

_Wu,  
Republic City is boring and lonely. I guess I probably don’t even have to tell you I miss you. Sorry I spent most of my time there being awkward. I know you’re really busy this week so I’ll keep my letter short. Just letting you know that I’m back.   
Yours, Mako._

_Dear Mako,  
I miss you too, everyday. Don’t worry about my schedule I always have time to write you. Ba Sing Se is not as fun without you here with me. Long distance relationships suck. All I want is to lay with you after a long day but I guess writing you will have to do. I met with the people at the police station the other day they told me they miss having you around too which I thought was funny since you’re a total stick in the mud at work, but hey to each their own. They’re considering police chiefs right now and part of me hopes they won’t be able to decide. Part of me still really wants to be able to give you the position but I am not in a place to just give away jobs like that and Ba Sing Se needs a police chief now. I still think you’d make an amazing chief. Chief Mako the strong stern leader of the entire Ba Sing Se Police Force. Has a nice ring to it don’t you think? Write me back soon strong police guy   
Your Wu._

Mako read over Wu’s letter multiple time his mind tease with thoughts about what was written. 

“Chief Beifong”Mako entered Lin’s office the following day he was supposed to report back to her about Ba Sing Se. The chief looked up from her paperwork. 

“Right, we have a meeting set up. Let’s make it fast Mako I have a million things to do”she swiped through some papers then pointed to the open seat for Mako. 

“Ba Sing Se has some real issues with their police force. There is barely anyone enrolled anymore and they have thin wages due to the break in imports right now. I was wondering with everything going on over there that maybe we should be offering more help. If Republic City could send some people over then order in Ba Sing Se could be easily be gained and they could finally rebuild the city”Mako had a stern look on his face and Beifong glanced up to him from her papers. “Korra and Bolin are both there. The entire air nation. Even Asami has been lending aid. I feel like maybe I have more to give as well”he pressed a hand to chest and held his strong expression. Beifong slapped her papers down on her desktop. 

“Are you asking for a transfer?”she asked raising an eyebrow Mako swallowed. 

“Yes I am”he said boldly and she took a second to think drawing in a slow breath as she did so.

“You expect me to let you leave and hold your position here?”she asked and he tightened his folded hands in his lap. 

“All I’m asking is that you put in a good word for me with the Ba Sing Se police. They need more people and they need a chief”Mako explained. She tapped her fingers on her desk then smiled.

“Mako, you’re a great detective and a good guy”she shook her head, “You kids are always trying to fix everything. The Ba Sing Se police already love you. You won’t need any recommendations from me unless, of course, you were trying to get the chief position there?”she leaned forward and Mako blinked a couple times. 

“I don’t think I’m prepared to lead an entire force yet. I still have a lot to learn”he admitted and Beifong smirked leaning back away.

“You’re right. But you’re not as far off as you might think. I hope you like it in Ba Sing Se. You’ve definitely got you’re work cut out for you. If you need help send a letter”she grabbed up whatever document she had disregarded and Mako smiled. 

“I know there’s a lot of work, but it’s important to me”he said and she nodded slowly with that Mako stood dismissing himself from their meeting.

“And Mako, when things settle down if you want to come back. There’s a place for you here”she offered with a stiff nod and Mako returned it although a large part of him did not think the offer would be taken. When Mako got back to his apartment later that night he wrote Wu immediately. 

_Wu,  
Chief of police in Ba Sing Se might be a bit of an over statement. I hope Ba Sing Se policeman sounds just as good to you because I just got cleared by Beifong to join you in Ba Sing Se on the force. Tell the station to expect me back soon. You wouldn’t happen to know about any good apartments near the station. The upper ring might be a bit expensive for me but maybe I can find a nice place in the middle ring. I can't wait to be with you everyday and give back to the Earth nation. Not sure when I'll be coming. I still need to write the station for a position and look into my apartment here. Not to mention tell Bolin. Speaking of Bolin what should I tell him about you and me? Miss you.  
Yours, Mako_

As Wu was reading through his letter from Mako he jumped up in excitement and pressed the paper to his chest with a large smile. The distance between them was killing him and he had so much respect for when Bolin and Opal were apart during the war. He couldn’t imagine how lonely Asami felt when Korra left to do her Avatar duties. Mako was only a train ride away and Wu still could not stand the distance. 

_Dear Mako,  
This is best news I could have ever asked for. Having you here will really make things easier with the police force. Not to mention you're pretty easy on the eyes. I will talk to the station as soon as I can. I’m sure they're gonna be just as excited to hear you're coming to stay in Ba Sing Se. Maybe not quite as excited as me. A lot of the rent prices in Ba Sing Se have dropped recently with all the issues going on. I guess there is a silver lining in riots and dismantled governments. As for Bolin you can tell him whatever you want I’m not trying to hide anything. If you want to wait and tell him together that’s fine with me too. Missing you as always,  
Your Wu_

Writing each other only made the two miss being together even more. Mako wished he could have pulled Wu closed when he told him he was moving to Ba Sing Se. He would have squeezed the tan man and kissed him deeply, but instead he had to attempt to express himself through words. Writing Wu was usually easier for Mako before they had started dating. He could hide behind his words and write down what he would have troubles saying aloud. Now that they were dating Mako wanted to share everything with Wu in person so he could see the Earth nation leader’s unfiltered reactions. His soft smiles, sweet eyes, joking smirks, and cocked eyebrows. Mako wanted to hear Wu’s light laughter and his teasing voice. The fire-bender sat back in his desk chair and ran a hand through his hair exhaling a frustrated huff out his nose. 

_Wu,  
I sent a letter over to the station and should be hearing back soon. Maybe you can check over there for me if you get the chance. To be honest I'm really glad this is working out for us. The longer I have to write you the longer I don’t like doing it. You know I love writing you but I wish I was just with you there already. I bet you looked adorable when you read my letter. I should probably visit soon to apartment hunt. Let me know when you've got a less than busy schedule. Miss you.  
Yours, Mako._

Wu laughed softly when he read Mako’s letter he could hear the fire-bender’s impatient frustration. 

_Dear Mako,_  
I'm excited for you to be Ba Sing Se too. To think that my boyfriend will not be hours away but only minutes makes me so happy. I may have had a smile I couldn't get rid of after I read your letter. I guess you'll never know. I wish you were here already too. You get things done Mako and thats what we need here in Ba Sing Se, someone like you to help take charge. The Earth Republic has a long way to go if the nation is going to stand together, but I think things are finally beginning to make sense. I knew all I needed was to have you around for things make sense. Thank you Mako. I’ll probably be least busy during the beginning of next month if you want to come then. Be prepared for a long hello kiss though. I can’t wait to have you here. Missing you, my Mako.  
Your Wu.


End file.
